KOCHI: Another woman has filed a complaint against Martin Joseph who is on the run for allegedly raping and brutally torturing a woman after confining her in an apartment for months in Kochi. The complaint was lodged by a 33-year-old woman who is staying at an apartment in Kakkanad on the outskirts of the city.
As per the complaint, an FIR 19/2021 was registered at Vanitha Police Station in Kochi on Wednesday evening. The complaint comes at a time when the police are on the lookout for Martin, 33, in Kochi and Thrissur.
"The victim has given written complaint that on May 31, Martin came to her apartment and she underwent verbal abuse and physical torture. She suffered a minor injury. The accused stayed at her apartment for a day and threatened her not to reveal the incident to anyone else. She said that she works in an IT company in Kakkanad and knows Martin as a friend for the past couple of years," a police official said.
The Vanitha Police have registered an FIR charging section 354 of IPC for assault or criminal force to women intending to outrage her modestly. The woman decided to approach the police after coming to know about the rape case against Martin from a news report. "The victim of the recent complaint was afraid to approach the police. We have registered a case charging non-bailable offense," a police official said.
Meanwhile, police have collected the details of Martin's friend circle in Kochi and Thrissur. Police suspect that more women might have been assaulted by the accused.
"From our probe, it is revealed that he maintains a vast friendship circle in Kochi and Thrissur. He even met and contacted some of his friends after the rape case was registered against him. We are also probing whether more women became his victims of abuse and assault. We have some information in this regard but cases will be registered only if there is a complaint from victims," the police officer said.