KOCHI: In a dramatic twist in the Walayar case, the CBI, in a supplementary chargesheet, has arraigned the parents of the victims in the rape and death of two sisters, aged 9 and 13, that rocked the state in 2017.
As many as six chargesheets were filed before the Ernakulam CBI court in the case, and in all of them, the parents of the victims were indicted. They were accused of abetting rape and not reporting the rape incident to the police, sources said. They were charged with offences under IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The CBI investigation found that the parents deliberately concealed the facts that their daughters were raped by the accused persons. Similarly, the investigation agency also found that accused persons abeted the rape.
Earlier, CBI filed six chargesheets related to the rape and suicide deaths of two sisters. The accused in the cases are Valiya Madhu, Shibu, Pradeep and Kutti Madhu for the death of the elder girl. Similarly, Valiya Madhu and a minor boy were accused of abetting the murder of the younger girl.
Kutty Madhu was later found dead in a closed private factory in Binanipuram near Aluva in October 2023. Another accused, Pradeep was found hanging in his Cherthala residence on November 4, 2020. While Valiya Madhu and Cheriya Madhu were close relatives of the girls, Shibu, a resident of Rajakkad in Idukki, had been living with the family for several years and frequently engaged in masonry work with them.
The incident took place in 2017 when the two girls were found dead within a span of two months in Walayar, in Palakkad. The siblings were found hanging in the same fashion in a shed near their house.
CBI took over Walayar case in 2021
Walayar police had come to the conclusion that the girls were sexually abused for nearly a year until they were forced to end their lives.
The CBI took over the probe following the directive of the Kerala High Court in April 2021 after ordering re-trials in the cases. The cases which were first considered by the Palakkad POSCO court were transferred to the CBI Court in Kochi last year.
This the second CBI team of Thiruvananthapuram Special Crime Unit conducting the investigation in the case. Earlier in 2021, the court had rejected the chargesheet filed by a CBI team.
CBI chargesheet a shocker for us, say girls’ mother
“The chargesheet filed by the CBI came as a shocker for us. When the CBI couldn’t find the real perpetrators, they made us the culprits. The CBI is trying to sabotage the case repeatedly. We will fight for justice till our last breath”, said the girls’ mother.
TURN OF EVENTS
January 13, 2017: The 13-year-old elder sister found hanging in their one-room house at Attappalam, Walayar. Postmortem reports indicates sexual assault.
March 4: The 9-year-old younger sister is also found hanging in a similar manner. Her postmortem report also indicates sexual assault.
March, 2017: Five individuals, including a juvenile, arrested and charged with rape, sexual assault, and abetment of suicide.
September 30, 2019: The Special POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Court in Palakkad acquits one accused, Pradeep Kumar, citing insufficient evidence.
October 25, 2019: The same court acquits three more accused- V Madhu, M Madhu, and Shibu — due to lack of evidence. The acquittals led to widespread protests and public outcry.
November 20, 2019: Kerala government and the victims’ mother file appeals in the High Court challenging the acquittals.
January 6, 2021: HC sets aside the lower court’s acquittal of the accused and orders a retrial, citing serious lapses in the investigation and prosecution.
April 1, 2021: CBI takes over the probe
August 10, 2022: A Sessions Court directs the CBI to reinvestigate the alleged sexual assault and deaths of the two sisters.
October 25, 2023: Madhu, the fourth accused in the case, reportedly dies by suicide, adding complexity to the ongoing investigation.