THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The crime branch probing the sensational Vithura sex scandal case on Saturday nabbed the prime accused Suresh from Hyderabad. The Kottayam additional sessions special court had earlier declared him a fugitive in the 23 cases registered against him. Suresh, who surrendered in 2014 before the court in Ernakulam, was granted bail and had gone absconding since then.
Suresh, 47, had forced the victim into the flesh trade. Sources from the crime branch said the accused had been hiding in different places in the country using fake identities. He was taken into custody based on a tip-off. The police said that he would be brought before the court at Kottayam next week.
Some of the accused allegedly kept the victim in illegal custody for 10 days and raped her, before selling her to others. The cases were registered under Section-3 (1) and 5 (1) of the Immoral Trafficking Act.
The victim, who hails from Vithura near Thiruvananthapuram, was brought to Ernakulam in 1995 by her neighbour Ajitha Beegam, promising her the job of a domestic worker. Ajitha handed over the victim to Suresh on October 21, 1995, who allegedly forced the victim to engage in sex with several persons for money, in various places in the state, until she was arrested on July 16, 1996.
The case took a new turn when the victim came out on bail and filed a complaint on July 23, 1996. After registering an FIR the next day, the case was handed over to the Crime Branch.
The trial of the cases is taking place at a special court in Kottayam. The special court disposed of 16 of the 23 cases, exonerating all the 21 accused who had undergone trial after the victim failed to identify them.