Aunt and husband held in Andhra over sexual assault of minor girl in spa case

Police in Andhra Pradesh have taken the maternal aunt of a 16-year-old girl and her husband into custody in connection with a sexual assault investigation involving spa workplaces.

Investigation Details

Investigators traced the couple to Palasamudram in Andhra Pradesh after they went missing following the initial police probe. A nine-member Special Investigation Team has been formed to handle the case, led by the Kollam Circle Inspector and including officers from the Crime Branch and the Narcotics Cell. The inquiry began on September 21 when the aunt filed a missing person report for the girl, whom she had raised since the child lost both parents at the age of two. Police found the girl on September 22 with a young man she worked with at a spa. Officers grew suspicious after discovering two different Aadhaar cards on her phone, which listed her age as either 20 or 16. A check of her school records in Andhra Pradesh confirmed she was 16 years old.

Action And Arrests

The girl was placed before the Child Welfare Committee in Poojappura on September 23 for counselling with a translator. During this session, she stated that she stayed at a Kollam area spa for about two months after arriving in late June or early July, followed by four days at another spa. Authorities arrested the owners of these two spas, and both remain in judicial custody. The girl also reported facing similar abuse at a spa in Guduvanchery near Chennai, leading police to file a zero FIR and transfer it to the Guduvanchery police station. Meanwhile, the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights registered a separate case based on media reports, with member Dr F Wilson seeking reports from local authorities.

Context

Child protection laws in India mandate strict age verification and immediate intervention by child welfare committees when minors are found in vulnerable employment situations. Special investigation teams are typically deployed in complex multi-state cases to coordinate cross-border evidence gathering and arrests.