Asfaq Alam, the accused in the rape and murder of a five-year-old migrant girl in Kerala’s Aluva, has been convicted by the Ernakulam POCSO Court on Saturday, November 4. The crime was committed on July 28 and a charge sheet was filed within 30 days. The trial in the case began on October 4 and was concluded in 26 days. The prosecution has reportedly asked for maximum punishment as all the charges levelled against him have been proven.

Asfaq, who is a migrant labourer who hails from Bihar, sexually assaulted and murdered the child on July 28. He had kidnapped her from her home when her parents, both migrant labourers from Bihar, were not present. He was arrested the same night on the basis of CCTV visuals. The remains of the deceased child were recovered from an abandoned spot behind the Aluva market the next day.  

The crime set off several debates regarding the safety of migrant workers’ children as well as the absence of records on migrant workers working in Kerala. 

During the course of the investigation, it was found that Asfaq was the accused in another case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act in Delhi. The incident took place in 2018. On August 1, Aluva Rural Superintendent of Police Vivek Kumar told the media that Asfaq was an undertrial prisoner for a month in the case and that he was the sole accused in the case in which he was accused of sexually harassing a child. The 2018 case against Asfaq was found by comparing his fingerprint with the database in the National Crime Records Bureau to determine whether he was involved in other cases.