A five-member police team which left for Mumbai last Sunday managed to find the residence of the 15-year-old girl, recently trafficked to Kozhikode for flesh trade. The team, led by sub-inspector Dileep Kumar, from the Kasaba station, traced the location as part of a comprehensive inquiry into the case. Sources said they were also trying to net some of the girl’s relatives who could be listed as accused in the case. A local police team in Mumbai had been supporting their Kerala counterparts, sources said.
The police team reached Panvel in Mumbai on the basis of the ‘vague’ details given by the girl who managed to escape from the gang’s custody. The victim, in her complaint, stated that one of her close relatives was involved in ‘the incident in which she was sold to a gang operating in flesh trade.’
An officer attached to the investigation team said they had got leads to apprehend the girl’s relatives. “A woman is suspected to be the main player in the incident and we would be able to trace her shortly,” he said.
Officials at the Kasaba station said they could share more details only after the team returned. “We are maintaining secrecy as we do not want to miss the big sharks in the case,” they said. It was on April 3 that the girl approached the police and sought help. Based on her complaint, the police had arrested two persons, namely, Saji Shameer, 43, and Jaffer Ali, 30. They were in police custody.
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The police and the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) organised a massive vehicle checking drive in the district from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Wednesday. This was to ensure the fitness of vehicles ahead of the monsoon season, sources said.
Over 300 personnel, including the City Police Commissioner and other senior officers, took part in the drive.
Motorists found violating various MVD rules were fined.
No fewer than any 68 vehicles of the police and six of the MVD were used during the drive. City Police Commissioner A.V. George had ordered the drive. Assistant Commissioners (Traffic) V. Abdul Razak and T.K. Raju; and Circle Inspector C. Sivaprasad coordinated it. Special seals were affixed on vehicles on completion of inspection to avoid repeat checking.
The authorities verified all vehicle documents and assessed the condition of the vehicles. As many as 3,600 vehicles were checked and Rs.5.77 lakh collected as fine.
As the checking was conducted simultaneously at various points, a majority of motorists could not evade the process by taking byroads. Many motorists were found to have expired vehicle insurance and pollution-under-control certificates.
