ALAPPUZHA: A senior lawyer of Alappuzha court was arrested under the Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act on Saturday. Uma Shankar 54, ‘Sreesailam’, Mankombu, Kuttanad, was arrested by a special team constituted by district police chief G Jayadev. According to the police, Uma Shankar had sexually exploited a girl, a relative, for the past five years and the girl tried to end her life a few months ago.
The Pulinkunnu police had registered a case, but the accused went underground. The special team took him into custody from a hideout at Ottanchathram in Tamil Nadu. The accused had sexually exploited the girl several times in his house and in the car. After the girl turned 18, she objected to his sexual advances. Later he began torturing the girl physically and she tried to end her life by slashing the wrists. A family member came to know about the exploitation after the girl attempted suicide, the police said.
While he was on the run, the accused had moved the district, High Court and Supreme Court for anticipatory bail, but his plea was rejected. The police registered case under the Pocso Act and IPC Section 376. He was produced before the Ramankari First Class Magistrate Court and remanded in 14-day judicial custody.