THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 35-year-old woman from Vakkom was arrested on the charges of sexually abusing her minor son three years back. The mother of four, who is separated from her husband, was arrested on December 28 after her estranged husband filed a complaint with the Child Welfare Committee.
Sources with the Kadakkavoor police station said the incident allegedly took place in 2018. When the couple separated over domestic issues, three children went to live with the father while the youngest kid was left with the woman.
The incident came to light when the kids joined their father, who is working in the Middle East. The police said the boy, who was abused, told the matter to a religious scholar, who came to teach him religious lessons. The scholar conveyed this matter to the child’s father, who on return to the state contacted the police. “We received the complaint on December 18, but did not immediately proceed with the arrest. We directed the father to the Child Welfare Committee, which subjected the boy to three days counselling. They later gave us a report, based on which we arrested the woman,” said a police officer.
It was a rare case of a mother abusing her son and because of that they carefully proceeded with the probe. “We did not want to jump the gun and hence conducted a thorough probe. Meanwhile, the boy has given his secret statement to the magistrate under CrPC 164. We collected all the evidence and then only we proceeded with the arrest,” the police officer said. The woman was charged under relevant sections of Pocso Act and is now in judicial custody.