LDF alleges police influence helped Kerala POCSO accused evade arrest

The LDF demanded the immediate arrest of the prime accused in the Kerala POCSO case. It alleged police-prosecution collusion as two investigating officers were suspended for procedural lapses.Image used for representational purposes onlyKozhikode,Oct 29, 2026 22:22 ISTThe Left Democratic Front (LDF) has alleged that influence within the police helped the prime accused in the alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Kerala evade arrest. It demanded his immediate detention, news agency Press Trust of India reported.LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan urged the police and prosecution to end the alleged collusion and take urgent steps to ensure justice for the girl.Payyoli police registered the case in January 2026 after receiving a complaint from Childline. Expatriate businessman Abdul Rafeeq is the first accused, while the girl's mother is the second accused, according to the LDF statement.Rafeeq was a close friend of the girl's mother. The teenager was allegedly sexually assaulted for more than two years. Ramakrishnan said the police arrested and remanded the mother following strong public protests. However, he alleged that the police allowed Rafeeq to escape to the Gulf without arresting him.The statement alleged that Rafeeq, who was facing a lookout notice, appeared before a court in Koyilandy after nine months and secured bail as the prosecution did not object. Residents and an action committee subsequently launched protests against the conduct of the police and prosecution, forcing officials to begin the process of cancelling his bail, the statement said.After his bail was cancelled, Rafeeq went into hiding and secured bail from the Kerala High Court within days, according to the statement.Ramakrishnan alleged that the police and prosecution had taken positions favourable to the accused and that an "unholy nexus" was protecting him. He sought Rafeeq's immediate arrest and imprisonment, along with urgent measures to ensure justice for the girl.Two officers who had served at Payyoli police station and were part of the investigation were suspended on Wednesday over procedural lapses in the case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, PTI reported.Indian Union Muslim League MLA Parakkal Abdulla had recently approached the Home Minister seeking action against police officers after protests intensified over Rafeeq's release on bail.The LDF has demanded action against the prime accused and alleged lapses by the police and prosecution, while two officers involved in the investigation have been suspended.- Ends