Two disturbing incidents of sexual exploitation involving young children by Islamic preachers have been uncovered in the state of Kerala. In the initial case, three madrasa teachers, including one from Uttar Pradesh, were apprehended by Nedumangad police. On November 18, authorities reported their arrest on charges of sexually assaulting minor students.
The accused individuals were identified as 24-year-old L Siddique from Kadackal Kanjirathummoodu Bismi Bhavan, 28-year-old S Muhammed Shameer from Jasmin Villa near Karibah Auditorium, and 30-year-old Muhammad Rasalal Haq from Ganeshpur in Uttar Pradesh’s Kheri district. Exploiting the guise of a madrasa, these individuals allegedly subjected the youngsters to unnatural sexual violations.
The operation was initiated following a complaint filed by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). The case against the perpetrators was registered under the Juvenile Justice Act, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Having operated a madrasa in Nedumangad for the past year, the arrest of the offenders was overseen by District Superintendent of Police Kiran Narayanan. The tip about their heinous crimes against the victims, who were attending the institution for religious studies, was received by Kattakkada Deputy Superintendent of Police (DYSP) N Shibu, Nedumangad Station House Officer (SHO) A Sunil, Sub-Inspector (SI) Suresh Kumar, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Shaji, Rajith, Senior Civil Police Officers (SCPO) C Biju, Deepa, and Civil Police Officer (CPO) Ajit Mohan, acting on information from the CWC. Following their presentation in court, the trio was remanded into custody.
On November 22, the Vazhikadavu Police apprehended an Islamic preacher known as Puthukkadavu Muhammad Shakir, also recognised as Shakir Baquavi Mampad, in Malappuram. He was accused of molesting a young child for a duration of one year.
The child disclosed the abuse to his teacher on November 21, leading to a prompt response from law enforcement. Manoj Parayatta, the Station House Officer of Vazhikadavu Police, stated, “We received the complaint against Shakir on Tuesday. The boy told his teacher about the abuse from Shakir. We wasted no time and nabbed him from his house.”
The assault persisted for a year, during which the perpetrator also threatened the victim to keep the distressing incidents confidential. Additionally, the investigative team is set to examine the possibility of the culprit’s prior involvement in a similar crime. The preacher has been placed under judicial custody, and the victim will receive counseling at the school, as per officials.
Despite having a substantial social media following, with over 23,000 Facebook followers and more than 8,000 YouTube subscribers, the preacher’s lectures primarily focus on religion and family.
