A former imam in Kerala, who was accused of raping a 15-year-old girl, has been arrested after more than a month of a cat-and-mouse game.
Shafeek Al Qasimi, 37, the former chief imam of the Tholicode Muslim Jama Ath, was held in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The SIT also arrested Faisal who was driving Shafeek, reports The Times of India.
The incident came to light when Shafeek and the girl reached an isolated spot near a forest region in Peppera and encountered Kudumbashree workers in the area. They grew suspicious of Shafeek with the young girl arriving in a car. When the women in the group began questioning Shafeek, he panicked and left with the girl. He dropped the minor at her house and then disappeared.
But Shafeek's plans to stay underground and be untraceable hit a dead-end because the Kudumbashree women had taken photos of Shafeek and circulated them on social media, thus making the world know of his misdemeanours.
It was difficult for the police to file a case because the girl and her family refused to come forward to give a statement on the matter in the beginning. It took the police more than a week to register the complaint.
The girl, at last, gave a statement when the Child Welfare Council stepped forward and moved the victim to the Nirbhaya shelter home where she received counselling. She then spoke to the police of the sexual assault who registered a case against Shafeek on February 12.
After receiving a tip-off that Shafeek was in Tamil Nadu, Kerala DSP D Ashokan, along with a five-member team of Shadow Cops led by additional sub-inspector Shibu, had been searching for Shafeek in multiple towns in Tamil Nadu. On Thursday morning, Ashokan received information that the religious leader was in Madurai. Ashokan had immediately left for the Tamil Nadu town to arrest him.
Shafeek Al Qasimi was expelled after Tholicode Muslim Jama Ath conducted a probe and found that the allegations levelled were true.
Along with Shafeek, the police also arrested two of his brothers and a brother-in-law. The police accused them of helping Shafeek escape and destroy evidence.
