Kottakkal sex case: Cops try to help accused, manipulate names on list

KOZHIKODE: When children in Gaza were suffering because of the war, political parties in Kerala were out on the streets demanding justice for them. But, when two young children (13-year-old and 11-year-old girls) in Malappuram have been sexually exploited and sold in the sex market, no political parties have been out on the streets demanding the arrest of those involved.

Police was quick to read between the lines and boldly reduced the accused list in the notorious Kottakkal sex racket case to just 12.

Sources, who worked closely with the victim children in this case, told DC that there could be more than 100 accused involved who could be politically connected.

“When the victims themselves told the police that there were more than 40 men involved, police still cut down the accused list to 13. They did not want to ruffle the feathers of the politically as well as financially powerful people who could be involved in this case,” an NGO representative told Deccan Chronicle.

The parents (mother and step-father who are among the arrested) had sold these children in the sex market and they were abused for more than 2 years.

“We could see that these children were presented to customers almost daily and the number could never be 13. How the police could restrict the number of accused to 13 is a mystery,” he added.

When contacted, Mohammed Haneefa M, circle inspector of police, Tirur, who is investigating the case told DC that they arrived at the figure after interrogating the victims, their mother, who was the main pimp in the case and other intermediaries.

“We understand that the girls said that they were abused about 40 times. Now we are getting more information from other sources and we are taking the accused into custody. So we will have better clarity after interrogating them. We have presented an application for their police custody,” CI said.