While rescuing a young woman from the jaws of death about two weeks ago, never did they realise that it would shed light on the operation of drug rackets in the city.
On March 14, the Thoppumpady police rescued a 23-year-old woman who attempted to commit suicide by jumping down from the Mattancherry BOT bridge. Preliminary investigations revealed that the woman, hailing from northern Kerala, was a drug addict and mentally unstable.
However, detailed investigations pointed to the woman being a victim of sexual harassment allegedly by her fellow drug users.
Soon, the police filed a First Information Report for rape and expanded the scope of the investigation. “The woman has been in Kochi at least for the past four years and is suspected to have been sexually exploited several times during the period. We have already booked a rape case against a Palluruthy native and is on the lookout for more persons’’, officials said.
Meanwhile, the mental condition of the woman, currently admitted to a rescue home in Kakkanad, is proving to be a major hindrance in the investigation.
Reach-out to women
The Tripunithura police have launched an initiative to ensure the participation of women in the community policing system.
In a first of its kind scheme, the Hill Palace police station here has launched a new website nirbhayatrippunithura.in.
The facility, exclusively for the womenfolk living within the police station limits, is aimed at enabling them to file a complaint, send an alert to the police without having to visit the station. The initiatives assumes significance in the wake of the rising number of attacks against women in the form of domestic violence and sexual harassment.
The website, launched on March 22 as part of a women’s meet organised by the station, is slated to be operational within 15 days.
It can be accessed through any hand-held device including cell phones.
Hiran Unnikrishnan
