An anti-rape poster. Image for representational purposes.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
A 75-year-old man who was accused of raping a 23-year-old tribal woman from Odisha is absconding, even as he has moved an anticipatory bail petition which was scheduled to be heard on Tuesday by the District and Sessions Court in Ernakulam.
Police had booked an FIR against the man who has been identified as K Sivaprasad for allegedly raping his house help who belongs from Gajapati district, after spiking her juice.
Sivaprasad has served as the managing director of the State Farming Corporation of Kerala, Horticultural Products Development Corporation, Kerala State film Development Corporation and Plantation Corporation of Kerala Ltd.
The alleged rape happened at Sivaprasad's house in Ernakulam on October 15, the FIR was filled on October 17, based on the statement of the woman.
The FIR had been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 74 (Assault or use of criminal force against women with the intent to outrage their modesty).
After a medical examination, charges of rape were added to the initially registered case.
According to a report by The Hindu, police sources said, "Since then, we have added rape charges. But the accused remains absconding, and his mobile phone remains switched off. We have been to all potential locations where he could have gone but could not trace him yet."
The incident came to light after the woman reportedly told about her ordeal to one of her relatives who herself was a domestic help in another house in the same district.
The relative shared the incident with her employer who informed the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Department (CMID).
According to police, the woman who had joined as a domestic hep at Sivaprasad's house earlier this month, said in her complaint that her employer outraged her modesty once she fell unconscious after drinking the spiked juice.
According to a report by Indian Express, police sources said that a day after the incident, Sivaprasad and his family left to visit the Guruvayur temple.
The woman who was alone at the accused's home, shared the incident with her relative on October 16.
According to the publication's report, the employer of the woman's relative -- Benoy Peter -- runs an NGO and said, "The survivor had reached the house early this week. She was not familiar with the location of the house. She sent the outdoor images of the house to her relative. After going through the images, we could identify the location and then we took up the matter with the Maradu police."