THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tholikkod imam Shafeek al Khasim has submitted an anticipatory bail plea in the POCSO case registered against him for sexually molesting a 15-year-old girl. Imam said that CPM has a resentment against him after my speech at SDPI event.

Eariler, the victim who was subjected to sexual abuse had testified against the imam. She said that imam sexually abused her. The victim said that she was taken to an isolated area deliberately. The police have also sought to take a secret statement of the victim.

The statement was recorded by child welfare committee. They had subjected the victim to a medical check-up. The police have intensified the search for Imam Shafeek al Khasimi. A lookout notice will be issued today.

Shafeeq Al Qasimi, who was serving as the Imam of a rural mosque at Tholicode in Vithura, over 30 km away from here, was removed after the incident came to light, police said. According to the statement, he had lured a 15-year-old girl to an isolated forest area in Vithura and allegedly sexually assaulted her last week. The incident came to light after a group of local women confronted the cleric after seeing him with the school-going girl in the forest.