Malappuram: The police on Monday arrested the owner of a cinema in Edappal who flagged up the abuse of a minor girl during a screening in April. Satheesh, 55, owner of Sharada theatre, was accused of not reporting the incident to the police. Mr Satheesh, who faces charges under Section 19 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, got released on bail.
The unexpected arrest came nearly a month after the molester Kankunnath Moideen Kutty, 60, a native of Thrithala in Palakkad district was held. The molestation by Kutty was caught on CCTV inside the theatre on April 18. After noticing the incident in the video, Mr Satheesh approached the district Childline unit on April 25 to initiate legal action. Though the Childline handed over the complaint along with video footage to the Changaramkulam police, nothing happened till the media exposed it on May 12.
After widespread outrage, the police swung into action and arrested him on the same day. Former sub-inspector K. G. Baby had later been charged under Section 21 of the POCSO Act for failing to register a case. In the disturbing incident, the key accused was caught on camera sexually abusing the 10-year-old along with her mother either side. They later arrested the mother also. Meanwhile, the chief minister is learnt to have sought a report from the state police chief on the issue.
