Kovalam spa sexual abuse: probe widens as health inspector arrested

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) supervised by R. Nishanthini, Inspector General, South Zone, has intensified its probe into the alleged sexual exploitation of a 16-year-old girl at a spa at Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam.The survivor, a native of Andhra Pradesh, was allegedly trafficked by her maternal aunt and the aunt’s husband. The accused couple was tracked down and arrested from Andhra Pradesh. They have been remanded to judicial custody. The SIT will soon move a custody application to interrogate them further.According to the police, the survivor had been initially presented to the court with forged documents that showed her age as 20. However, the investigating officers grew suspicious and verified her educational background by contacting the headmaster of the school she attended in Andhra Pradesh. School records conclusively established that the survivor is 16 years old, an officer said.The police brought the survivor to three different locations, including the spa, on Tuesday to collect evidence under stringent measures to protect her privacy.Notably, the investigation took a turn with the arrest of Anuroop, a junior health inspector at the Ulloor section office of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, who was allegedly acting as the ‘benami’ operator of the spa in Kovalam, where the survivor was primarily confined and abused.Financial transactionsPolice officials confirmed that various financial transactions, including Google Pay scanners linked to the spa, directly led to Anuroop’s accounts. The spa premises were apparently leased out to Anuroop by an Ayurvedic doctor who owned the facility.Besides, in light of information that the minor had also subjected to sexual abuse in other places, including Chennai, the Kovalam police registered an additional zero First Information Report (FIR) and transferred the particular case to the Guduvanchery police in Chennai. Published - October 20, 2026 04:23 pm IST