3-year-old girl's death in Kochi: Autopsy confirms sexual abuse, uncle confesses
Kochi: The tragic death of a three-year-old girl in Kochi has taken a disturbing turn, with postmortem findings revealing sexual abuse. The child’s paternal uncle has confessed to the crime and is now in police custody. The child’s body was recovered from the Chalakudy river near Moozhikulam on Monday evening.
Initial investigations suggested that the child’s mother had murdered her by throwing her into the river. She was subsequently arrested and remanded by the Chengamanad police, who are investigating the murder. However, the case became more complex after the autopsy report indicated signs of repeated sexual assault. Following the report, the Puthencruz police detained the girl's paternal uncle.
He has allegedly confessed to sexually abusing the child on multiple occasions when she visited his home nearby. Injuries on the child’s private parts supported these allegations. Police confirmed that the accused will be charged under Sections 3 and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which pertain to penetrative and aggravated penetrative sexual assault. Additionally, Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), dealing with rape, has been invoked.
Ernakulam Rural Superintendent of Police M. Hemalatha told the media that a zero FIR was registered on the basis of the autopsy and the statement by the medical examiner. The case was then transferred to the Puthencruz police.
“The investigation began yesterday, and key evidence is being analysed. We are recording the statements of others close to the child,” she said.
The child’s mother has already admitted to throwing the girl into the river while taking her from her husband’s home in Chottanikkara to her residence in Kurumassery. The motive behind the act is still under investigation.
Police have not yet confirmed whether the mother was aware of the ongoing abuse. Family members revealed that the child’s parents had ongoing marital disputes.
The Chengamanad police will continue to interrogate the mother, while the Puthencruz police are expected to join the questioning in light of the POCSO charges.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
