The Nileshwar police in Kasaragod unearthed a 3-month-old human foetus in the house of the Madrassa teacher, who was accused of sexually assaulting his 16-year-old daughter along with 5 other men.
The accused Madrassa teacher admitted that he had buried the foetus, which belonged to the minor child who was sexually abused, after an illegal abortion.
The evidence has now been sent for forensic examination by the Kasargod police. A case has also been registered against the doctor who conducted the illegal abortion.
The shocking case came to light on July 19, when the child’s maternal uncle complained to the police that he suspected sexual abuse.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that the 50-year-old Madrassa teacher had been repeatedly sexually abusing the minor for over two years. The police registered cases against the father and five other youths under various sections of the POCSO, Juvenile Justice Acts and the Indian Penal Code.
The accused have been identified as Mohammad Riyas, Mohammad Shareef, Ahmed, Eijas and Mohammad Ali, who have all now been arrested.
The child’s mother is being investigated for her possible role in the abuse. However, she is yet to be arrested, Nileshwar police confirmed.
“We have registered cases under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act (Punishment for Cruelty to Child), section 376 (2) (m) (punishment for rape), Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) section 5 read with 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) and others,” an officer at the Nileshwar police station confirmed to TNM.
According to reports, the accused Madrassa teacher is a repeat offender, having cases in the Bekal station for abusing four minor boys in 2017. Although he was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) act, he received a bail in the case as the court proceedings dragged on.
A native of Karnataka, he came to Kasargod to teach in the Madrassa and was reported sacked after the sexual assault case was reported in the Bekal station.