In a shocking case of child sexual abuse, a Karnataka man has been arrested for luring a Sri Lankan minor to India on the promise of a modelling career, and sexually assaulting her and looting Rs 2 lakh from her and her mother. The man – Satish – the son of a Haveri based businessman, has been booked under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The minor and her mother have now returned to Sri Lanka after their nightmarish experience.
The case
When Mallika* began talking to Bengaluru-based Satish in 2015, the Sri Lanka-based girl thought she finally had a chance at a better life.
Only 12 at the time, the young girl believed Satish when he told her, after seeing her photos on Facebook, that she had a career in modeling. And Satish offered to get her a gig himself – he said he had contacts in Bollywood.
On November 28, 2017, Mallika’s mother arranged for Rs 2 lakh and the mother-daughter duo flew to India to meet Satish.
The duo met Satish on December 1, after which he told them to stay at a hotel in Andheri, Mumbai.
That afternoon, Satish called Mallika to his room. He offered her some juice, after which, Mallika says in her statement, she fell unconscious. When she woke up a few hours later, experiencing severe pain in her lower abdomen, she realised she had been sexually assaulted.
While Mallika and her mother were grappling with what had happened, Satish took them to Haveri in Karnataka, and then brought them to Bengaluru.
According to a report, Satish allegedly tried to push Mallika into flesh trade and had lodged her and her mother at a hotel in Bengaluru against their wishes.
On December 7, the two of them were made to board a Mumbai-bound bus. Satish had stepped down to buy tea and didn’t return.
“When he didn’t return, we realised that he had disappeared with our money,” Mallika’s mother said.
Mallika and her mother then approached the Upparpet police. The police swung into action quickly and arrested Satish.
Return to Sri Lanka
After the arrest, Mallika and her mother were sent to an NGO for counseling and have now been sent back to Sri Lanka.
The police said that they are waiting for the forensic report before filing the chargesheet. “Satish has confessed that he duped the child for sex and trafficking, and did not expect the mother to come along,” a senior officer said.
*Not her real name