Fresh sexual assault allegation rocks Kovalam: Nurse alleges two-day captivity, rape and Rs 25-lakh extortion

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kovalam police have registered a case against a man, the owner of a prominent travel agency in Thiruvananthapuram, on a complaint that he held a 33-year-old woman from Ernakulam captive at a homestay in Kovalam, tied her hands and sexually assaulted her over two days in February. He allegedly extorted Rs 25 lakh from her by threatening to release videos recorded on his phone. The accused is absconding.

The married woman, who works as a nurse abroad, had become acquainted with a travel agency owner from Alappuzha through Instagram while overseas. Through him, she was introduced to the 27-year-old Thiruvananthapuram native who is now accused in the case. The accused had borrowed Rs 2.5 lakh from the woman last year. In February, when she could not get a flight ticket to Kochi to return home, she booked a ticket to Thiruvananthapuram instead. The accused had promised to repay the Rs 2.5 lakh when she arrived.

After she reached Thiruvananthapuram early in the morning, he took her by car to a homestay in Kovalam. There, he allegedly tied her hands with a piece of cloth and sexually assaulted her. After the assault, the accused allegedly used narcotic substances and inserted some by force into the woman's mouth. She remained unconscious for two days, according to the complaint.

The accused allegedly threatened to release videos of the assault if she disclosed what had happened. The woman, who has a husband and a son, was frightened by the threats. He subsequently extorted money from her on several occasions, allegedly using the videos as leverage.

The woman said she informed the accused's mother about the incident, but his mother also threatened her. The Alappuzha-based travel agency owner whom she had first befriended reportedly responded in a similar manner.

Mentally distressed by the ordeal, the woman approached the Aluva Rural Superintendent of Police in person and lodged a complaint earlier this month. A zero FIR was registered and transferred to Kovalam police, who registered a case on October 12.

The woman has also alleged that the accused's phone contained photographs of several women and expressed suspicion that they, too, might have been victimised in a similar manner.