Tamil Nadu Police are seeking custody of a minor’s aunt and her husband in connection with the alleged sexual exploitation of a 16-year-old girl at spas in Chennai and Kovalam, while inspections in the Kerala tourist destination have resulted in five of eight establishments being shut for operating without licences and required documents.
A team led by inspector Gauthami of the Kodungaiyur police station in Chennai visited Kovalam police station on Thursday to collect case details and coordinate the investigation. The Chennai police team is examining alleged sexual abuse at a spa in Kodungaiyur alongside the alleged exploitation linked to spas in Kovalam.
The girl’s aunt and her husband were arrested in Andhra Pradesh and brought to Kovalam before being remanded in judicial custody, according to the report. Tamil Nadu Police have begun legal procedures, including seeking a production warrant, to obtain their custody for further questioning. Investigators are also expected to seek permission to take the survivor to Chennai for evidence collection connected to the alleged abuse there.
The investigation is being conducted across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh as police work to establish the sequence of events and identify people suspected of facilitating the alleged exploitation. The case has also drawn attention to the oversight of commercial establishments operating in Kovalam, a major tourism destination in Thiruvananthapuram district.
The special investigation team probing the case is expected to seek custody of spa owners who are currently in judicial remand for interrogation and evidence collection. Those reported to be in remand include spa owners Sajith Kumar and Nishanth, the girl’s aunt and her husband, and Anuroop, a health inspector at the Ulloor zonal office of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
The reported involvement of a civic health inspector has brought municipal enforcement into the investigation, although the supplied report does not establish the nature of that person’s alleged role. Police action has so far included inspections of spas in Kovalam, with five of the eight establishments checked on Thursday shut for operating without licences and relevant documents.
Kovalam station house officer L Sheena said inspections would continue over the coming days as part of the crackdown following the alleged sexual exploitation of the minor. The next steps in the case will depend on court decisions on the police custody requests and the investigation team’s evidence-collection process.
