The Kochi City police arrested a man on charge of abducting a 52-year-old woman who was then allegedly raped and assaulted after which she was abandoned by the railway track.
The arrested is Firdous Ali of Assam. The woman is undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery. The incident reportedly took place near the Ponnurunni railway track on Wednesday at 5.30 p.m.
According to the police, Ali acquainted with the woman who was looking for a job at the North railway station. He enticed her by promising ₹500 and reportedly took her by an autorickshaw to the South railway station. They alighted at Kammattipadam and then walked towards the track.
The accused then allegedly raped the woman in a deserted area near the Ponnurunni railway track. After that, he fled the scene, and the woman lodged a police complaint. A police team led by Ernakulam Central Assistant Commissioner C. Jayakumar had been on the hunt for Ali since then by mostly relying on CCTV visuals.
However, Ali could not be immediately tracked down as his mobile phone was in switched-off mode. The police team closed in after the mobile was turned on on Saturday. Eventually, he was nabbed from Kaloor.
Imprisoned in a case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, Ali had been released on bail only a few months ago, said police sources.
