In a landmark decision on Saturday, September 27, 2025, a special court in Thiruvananthapuram dedicated to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act delivered a guilty verdict against 45-year-old Abu. He was convicted of kidnapping and sexually exploiting a young child from a migrant family, who had been living as pavement dwellers.
The heinous crime unfolded on the night of February 19, 2024. The victim’s family, originally from Andhra Pradesh, had come to the city, making a meager living by selling trinkets and toys to motorists at traffic signals.
Like many others in their itinerant trading community, the family had set up makeshift plastic tents on the roadside for the night, specifically near the Brahmos complex, adjacent to All Saints College within the Pettah police station’s jurisdiction.
Police reports indicate that Abu abducted the child while her parents were asleep. Discovering their child missing, the distraught family immediately alerted the Pettah police, who promptly initiated a widespread search operation for the young girl.
Investigators meticulously reviewed surveillance camera footage from the vicinity. The cameras captured blurry, nighttime images of a tall, thin individual leading a child away from the scene.
The search concluded on the morning of February 20, when a police team located the child, abandoned, near a wooded area adjacent to the Brahmos campus. Subsequent analysis of the video evidence proved crucial in identifying Abu as the primary suspect.
During the investigation, a medical examination of the child was conducted, which led to the recovery of the accused’s hair from her clothing. Further biological evidence collected from the victim and her attire was found to be a conclusive DNA match to the accused, as presented by the police in the special court.
Forensic experts provided crucial support to the prosecution’s case, submitting compelling test results from nationally accredited forensic laboratories. In total, the prosecution presented 41 witnesses and 11 pieces of material evidence to the court.
The sentencing phase will take place on Monday, September 29, 2025, where the court will determine the appropriate punishment for the convicted man. The case was thoroughly investigated by Circle Inspector K. Sreejith of the Pettah police station.