Police officer, 4 others arrested over alleged gang rape in Kochi

In her complaint filed on Saturday the woman, a housewife, said she was allegedly raped first in her house in May and it was repeated in another house in Kochi two months later but was scared to approach the police

The Kerala police on Sunday arrested a station house officer (SHO) and four others in connection with a gang rape case in Kochi.

According to Kochi police, the SHO was allegedly involved in another rape case two years ago and he spent a week in police custody (Representative Image)

The SHO of Beypore (Kozhikode) coastal police station P R Sunu and four others were arrested on the complaint of a woman in Kochi, police said.

Police said as per the woman’s complaint, she was allegedly gang-raped by a few people including the SHO.

In her complaint filed on Saturday the woman, a housewife, said she was allegedly raped first in her house in May and it was repeated in another house in Kochi two months later but was scared to approach the police.

The victim’s husband was jailed in connection with an employment cheating case in April in Kochi and they approached her citing this case. The accused persons then threatened her and sexually exploited her, said police.

The SHO was arrested from his police station at the directive of Kochi police commissioner C H Nagaraju. All arrested will be booked for rape, cheating and illegal confinement, the commissioner said.

According to Kochi police, the SHO was allegedly involved in another rape case two years ago and he spent a week in police custody.

Now, police will recommend the government to terminate his service from the force, said a senior official.

In another police-related crime, an assistant sub-inspector T G Babu was suspended and charged with the protection of children from sexual offences (POCSO) act for allegedly molesting a minor victim who was taken to Ooty in neighbouring Tamil Nadu for gathering evidence in a case.

The incident took place last week despite a woman police officer accompanying the investigating team. In her complaint, the 17-year-old victim alleged that the police officer groped her and took her photographs without her permission.

A departmental inquiry later found that there was merit in the victim’s complaint and suspended the police officer who is absconding.