Kerala woman aware of man sexually assaulting her daughter in theatre: Police

Thiruvananthapuram: A day after a middle-aged businessman was arrested by Kerala police for molesting a minor girl in a cinema theatre; cops on Sunday arrested the mother of the girl claiming that she was aware of the sexual assault on her daughter. 

The main accused Moyideen Kutty was arrested on Saturday after every second of the two-hour-long assault of the vile abuse was captured on CCTV camera and the clipping was aired on a news channel and it even went viral on internet.

Both Kutty and the girl’s mother have been charged under provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Kerala Women’s Commission chairperson MC Josephine said preliminary investigation showed the minor was abused with the connivance of her mother.

According to reports, the incident took place on April 18 and was captured in the night vision cameras in the theatre. The footage showed the man, flanked by a middle-aged woman on his right and a minor girl on his left, engaging in sexual acts with both.

According to reports, CCTV footage showed the man was abusing the victim and her mother at the same time, from beginning to end of the movie. The man stopped during the interval and went out and soon after the movie resumed he came in and began the assault.

The theatre owner checked the CCTV footages after one of the viewers alerted him about the incident. He immediately alerted the childline officials who in turn informed the police.

Police, however, failed to register a case against the accused initially but soon swept into action on Saturday when the media exposed the incident.

"There are serious lapses on the part of police and senior officers are looking into them," Hindustan Times reported Josephine as saying.

The police inaction evoked widespread criticism following which the sub-inspector of Changarakulam was suspended and action is likely against more police officers who tried to hush up the case.

The state human rights commission has also ordered an inquiry against the officers who tried to delay the case despite possessing strong evidences.

Josephine also met the owner of the theatre and praised his effort in exposing the incident.

Was assaulted by the accused earlier also: victims

Meanwhile, the girl has told the police that she had been assaulted by the accused earlier also. She also gave a detailed statement before a magistrate and later underwent medical tests. She was later shifted to a rescue home.

The women’s commission said the victim will be given the best care and counselling to help come out of the trauma.

Kutty runs a number of jewellery shops and restaurants, besides owning a lodge. The mother and the daughter were reportedly occupying one of the rooms. According to locals, Kutty often used to take the victim and her mother out in his luxury car.