Aluva minor rape case: Accused in custody, interrogation underway

Ernakulam: Police have nabbed the accused in the Aluva rape case wherein a minor girl was allegedly abducted, sexually assaulted, and abandoned in a paddy field in Aluva here on Thursday. The accused has been identified as Christil Raj, a native of Chenkal, Thiruvananthapuram. He was taken into custody around the afternoon and is currently being interrogated by the police.

The police identified the accused from the CCTV visuals of the region. According to reports, the person is a history-sheeter. It is learnt that he was accused in the sexual assault case of a mentally challenged woman in 2017. He was granted bail in the case. As per reports, Christil began stealing from the age of 18 and used to steal mobile phones regularly.

The incident occurred at around 2 a.m. According to reports, the perpetrator kidnapped the child while she was sleeping at her residence. A search led by the locals found the girl in a paddy field nearby. She was bleeding from wounds on her body.

At the time of the incident, the child’s father was away at Thiruvananthapuram. Only the minor’s mother and two siblings were present at the house. The children were sleeping alone in the hall and the mother in the bedroom. It has been found that the accused gained access to the room by unlocking the front door through an open window. He closed the door behind him as he left the house after kidnapping the child, claims the relatives.

The locals had alleged that the accused is a robber and is often found roaming near the Aluva Railway Station premises. The victim was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery, police said. The victim’s health condition is stable now.

The shocking incident was reported a month after a five-year old girl was abducted, raped and killed by a migrant labour in Aluva. The body of the girl, the daughter of migrant labourers, was found abandoned in a marshy area behind the Aluva fish market, near the Periyar River in July last week. Police had arrested a person from Bihar- Asafak Alam, 28-, who has confessed to the crime.