KOCHI: The police have arrested an Edappally resident who allegedly sexually harassed a Karnataka native working as a maid at his house. The police have also registered a case against the arrested person’s wife, who is the president of a group named Edappally Women Welfare Committee, for allegedly engaging a minor as maid and physically torturing her.
According to the police, Paul P, 60, hired the maid in 2015. Now 21, she was only 14 when she was employed as a housemaid. “The neighbours of Paul and his wife Selin first approached us with a complaint about the violence. According to the neighbours, the girl narrated the harassment she faced from Paul and Selin.
We recorded the statement of the victim and she disclosed that she was sexually harassed by Paul frequently when she was a minor and even now. We registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act and arrested Paul on Monday,” a police official said.
Apart from Pocso case, the police have registered a case under the Juvenile Justice Act and IPC for child labour and physical torture. According to the police, Selin is currently absconding and a search is on to nab her. “The victim told us that she informed Selin about sexual harassment she faced from Paul. But instead of protecting the victim, she was punished for disclosing the misbehavior from the part of Paul.
The victim claimed she was forced to take up child labour after the death of her mother. Her father and step-mother sold her to Selin as a maid,” a police official said. Police officials claimed that Selin has approached the court with an anticipatory bail petition in the case.
“We will seek the custody of Paul as part of the probe. We have collected evidence and statements in the case. We are also searching for the parents of the victim who forced her to take up child labour,” an officer said.