KOCHI: Omana, 66, the neighbour of the 75-year-old Kolenchery woman who was subjected to brutal sexual assault, allegedly provided an opportunity to Mohammed Shafi, 50, the first accused and Omana’s friend, to rape the elderly woman who suffers from memory loss.
Officials investigating the case said Omana had summoned the victim to her house by offering tobacco and tea on Sunday. “Shafi who was waiting at the house, attempted to rape the woman and assaulted her when she resisted. Though the woman collapsed, Omana’s son Manoj, 46, brutally assaulted her. Shafi and Manoj, who were inebriated, inflicted injuries on her private parts using with a sharp weapon,” said an officer.
The victim, a mother of two, used to roam in the area and depend on small donations from residents for a living. Omana had spotted her in front of a shop nearby on Sunday morning and took her to her house. The Puthencruz police on Wednesday recorded the arrest of Shafi, a native of Chembarakky in Perumbavoor and a lorry driver, Omana of Asarimalayil, Eruppoochira and her son Manoj after preliminary interrogation. They will be produced before the court later. “The accused have been arrested on charges of rape and physical assault. The investigation will check whether anyone else was involved,” said K Karthik, SP (Ernakulam Rural). Meanwhile, the authorities of MOSC Medical College Hospital (MCH), where the victim is undergoing treatment, said her health and psychological conditions have slightly improved. She is being treated in the Surgical ICU.
“The functioning of her kidney has now become normal. Since she suffered deep injuries and bled a lot, she was administered blood and platelets,” said a bulletin issued by Dr Vijy Paul Thomas, unit chief and professor, Department of General and Laparoscopic Surgery of the MCH.The doctors expect that she can be given liquid food within the next 24 hours.
Omana is staying along with his son Manoj after being separated with her husband. The area where her house is located is notorious for anti-social activities, including drug peddling and immoral trafficking, and locals had lodged complaints in this regard to authorities earlier.
The accused has been remanded in two-day police custody by Judicial Magistrate Court, Kolenchery. Prime accused Mohammed Shafi, who arrived from Pune recently, was produced before the magistrate via videoconferencing on Wednesday. According to the police, the accused will subjected to Covid test before being taken into custody.