Kochi: Two persons were taken into custody on Friday for allegedly sexually harassing child inmates, including four minor girls, of an orphanage in Kothamangalam on the outskirts of the district.
The duo, Tommy Scaria, 62, of Nedunkandathil house, Varapetty, who runs the orphanage, and Chandran, 55, caretaker, were being questioned by the police team which raided the ‘Sacred Heart Home’ based at Elangavan, Varapetty near Kothamangalam, following an alert by Child Line volunteers.
“The orphanage has been functioning in the area for the last 20 years. When we conducted the raid, there were five children four girls and a boy, all below 10 years of age,” police said.
The incident came to light when one of the children told her school teacher that Chandran, also a native of Varapetty, sexually abused her and the other inmates. The teacher took the children to a hospital last week and the hospital authorities informed the Child Line.
“Chandran is the husband of Radhamani, one of the orphanage staff members. He used to come to the orphanage to assist her.
The children said he gave them liquor, assaulted them and sexually abused them. Though they have a register number, the shelter does not have licence,” said the police.
The police were yet to record their arrests. “We’re scrutinizing the documents and collecting evidence to prove the charges, mainly against Chandran.
Also we’re interrogating them to find out whether any past inmates were subjected to such acts,” they said.
