THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Additional Sessions Court on Tuesday acquitted four, including prime accused Shobha John, in a case related to the sensational Varapuzha sex scam in which a minor girl was allegedly exploited by numerous persons. Shobha, 43, and Anil Kumar, 39, both from Thiruvananthapuram, and parents of the victim were accused in the case.
Shobha is infamous for her involvement in various criminal cases in the state. The court had sentenced her to jail term in other cases related to the sex scandal.
The charges against the accused were Shobha allegedly bought the victim by handing over `1 lakh to her mother at Kasaragod railway station on June 23, 2011.
The victim was reportedly forced into flesh trade. After completing the probe, the Crime Branch had filed a chargesheet before the court concerned.
Later, it carried out a detailed probe and found Shobha promised the parents of the victim to provide her with good education. No money was handed over to the parents. Since the Crime Branch failed to prove the case, the court decided to acquit all the accused. The Crime Branch had registered 32 cases in connection with the scandal. The trial proceedings have been completed in seven cases.