‘Nobody forced me to use ganja or liquor’; 14-year-old boy retracts statement, grandma’s lover released

KOCHI: A 14-year-old boy, who said that he was forced to drink liquor and use ganja, has now retracted his statement. The boy now says that no one forced him to use these. The youth identified as Prabin Alexander of Thiruvananthapuram, who was taken into custody, has been released. The police said family issues may be the reason for retracting his statement.

The boy had initially said that he was forced to drink alcohol several times. The incident happened in last December. The complaint filed was that Prabin, his grandmother's boyfriend, forced him to drink alcohol while he was watching TV at home. He also stated that Prabin threatened and forced him to smoke ganja on his birthday. The 14-year-old's mother, who learned about it from her son’s friends, filed a police complaint against Prabin.

The boy was staying with his grandma after his father died and his mother remarried. Following the complaint, Prabin Alexander was arrested by the Ernakulam North police. The boy’s mother had alleged yesterday that she was pressured to withdraw the complaint. Following this, the boy retracted his statement.