Sixth arrest recorded in Kovalam spa abuse case

The Special Investigation Team probing the alleged sexual exploitation and trafficking of a minor girl at a spa in Kovalam has recorded another arrest in connection with the case.

The accused has been identified as Maya, a native of Venganoor and a temporary health inspector at the Nagaroor grama panchayat. She is suspected to being directly involved in running the spa and managing financial transactions related to the establishment. With this, the total number of arrests in the case rose to six.

The team had earlier five persons, including Anuroop, an health inspector at the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation’s Ulloor zonal office; as well as the survivor’s maternal aunt and her husband, who allegedly brought the Andhra Pradesh-native girl to Thiruvananthapuram.

According to the police, the survivor was subjected to sexual abuse at various spas in Kovalam and nearby places.

She had been under the care of her maternal aunt and uncle after her parents’ deaths. She reportedly stated during her counseling sessions that she had also faced abuse at various spas in Chennai and Mumbai.

The ordeal came to light after the minor girl confided in a youth she met in Kovalam and left with him. During the police investigation launched upon a missing complaint filed by her aunt, discrepancies regarding her age emerged.

The Kovalam police had recovered two Aadhaar cards from the survivor, which showed her ages as 16 and 20 years. Subsequent verification confirmed she was 16 years old, after which she was shifted to a shelter home. Detailed counseling sessions later revealed the extensive history of the abuse she endured, prompting the police to widen their probe and initiate legal action against the perpetrators.