KOTTAYAM: At least 30 witnesses in the Poovarani sex scandal case turned hostile resulting in the acquittal of six persons accused of raping the minor girl of Pala. The six convicted had acted as middlemen and women who facilitated the trafficking of the girl whereas the rape-accused went free as the prosecution failed to prove the rape charge.
Special public prosecutor N. Gopalakrishnan said the death of the victim and the witnesses turning hostile had led to the acquittal of the six. The third witness, Anaswara, of Manarcaud, who was instrumental in connecting the fourth accused Thankamany of Poonjar Thekkekara and the eleventh accused Binu Augustine with the case, had turned hostile.
The prosecution had demanded proceedings against the third witness. The important witnesses included the employees of the Tilak hotel, Thiruvalla, Ashadom house boat, Kumarakom, and Sanghom hotel, Kanyakumary, who deposed against the prosecution.
The phone calls made by the accused on the days of the incident were vital pieces of evidence against those convicted. Though the prosecution presented 183 witnesses, only 127 of them were examined. Mr Gopalakrishnan said that he will file an appeal seeking enhancement of the quantum of punishment.
Mr Bijoy Prabhakaran, currently DYSP with the Special branch crime investigation department, who investigated the case, told DC that the police depended on digital evidence also to prove the case.
