Coimbatore City Police on Tuesday placed a policeman under suspension for sexually abusing a transwoman during the investigation of her complaint regarding lost mobile phone.
N. Moovendhan Velpari (50), a resident of Kovaipudur and a head constable attached to the Race Course police station, was suspended after a preliminary inquiry found that he had sexually abused a transwoman complainant.
As per the First Information Report, a 30-year-old transwoman Pappanaickenpalayam lodged a complaint with the Race Course police recently after she lost her mobile phone. The head constable went to the residence of the transwoman near Puliyakulam on the pretext of investigation and sexually abused her on November 6 evening. He was under the influence of alcohol. He also allegedly told the transwoman that he would visit her whenever he wanted.
The transwoman lodged a complaint with the Race Course police on November 8, based on which the head constable was booked for offences under Sections 294 b (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine, or with both) of the Indian Penal Code and 18 d (harms or injures or endangers the life, safety, health or well-being, whether mental or physical, of a transgender person or tends to do acts including causing physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse and economic abuse) of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
T. Jayachandran, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), placed Moovendhan Velpari under suspension on Tuesday.
