Kerala Police has registered a case under POCSO Act against the Chief Imam of the Tholicode Jama Ath and member of the Kerala Imams Council, Shafeeq Al Qasimi, for alleged sexual assault against a minor girl.
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As per reports, the case was registered after the mosque committee’s statement according to which the Imam had lured a 15-year-old girl into an isolated forest where he had then proceeded to assault her sexually. A group of local women had then confronted the Imam after spotting him with the school-going girl.
The case was registered at the Vithura police station in Nedumangad, Thiruvananthapuram, on Tuesday based on a complaint by the President of the Tholicode Muslim Mosque. The Imam is said to have worked at the same mosque. After the incident was reported, he was removed from his position at the Mosque and the Imams Council.
As per reports, the sexual assault has been confirmed by several witnesses. An audio clip was released by Badusha, President of the said Mosque, detailing the account of these witnesses. It was revealed after the members of the Mosque launched a probe. As per the report, when he was confronted, he lied that the minor was his wife. When the women noticed the uniform and school badge, they got suspicious.
When the women questioned that how can a 15-year-old girl be a wife of a 40-something man, the Imam reportedly got agitated and started yelling and escaped. The Imam was also reportedly spotted in the forest area a week prior to the incident.