Five accused in Kiliroor case found guilty, 1 acquitted

Monday, February 06, 2012: The Thiruvananthapuram CBI special Court has found the first five accused guilty in a case relating to the sexual exploitation of a girl named Shaari from Kiliroor, near Kottayam, by the accused after offering her roles in television serials. The quantum of sentence would be pronounced on Thursday.
Soman, the seventh accused was acquitted by the Court due to lack of proper evidence. The five accused identified as Praveen, Manoj, Latha Nair, Kochumon, Prasanth have been found guilty under charges of kidnapping, rape and conspiracy, sources said. The first accused identified as Omanakutty had earlier turned approver.
Shaari was admitted to the intensive care unit of a private hospital at Thellakom in a critical condition on 2004 August 28. Shaari had given birth to a girl child at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital on August 15 and had developed post-natal complexities. She got discharged from the hospital but was soon readmitted to the private nursing home.
After spending more than two months at the nursing home, she was removed to the Kottayam Medical College Hospital on the advice of a medical team set up by the Government. During her extended stay at the hospitals, she had developed hepatitis and later her kidneys too failed to function.
According to the police, the girl was lured into sex trade by her aunt and accomplices, including Latha Nair, who were part of a sex racket. The girl was taken to various places, both inside and outside the State, with the offers of chances in television serials.
The case came to light when her father, Surendrakumar of Cheriakarakkada House, Kiliroor, made a complaint to the police on September 16.
The issue got complicated when a Namboodiri family at Kaviyur perished in what was reported to be a case of suicide. In the `suicide note’, they had stated that Latha Nair was responsible for their death and had referred to the Kiliroor sex scandal.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF), especially Achuthanandan who was then Leader of the Opposition, had made the girl’s death an election issue illustrative of the increasing sexual exploitation of women in Kerala.