Man remanded in sexual abuse case
by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE
A fifteen year old schoolgirl from Colombo suburbs became the latest
victim of an alleged sexual assault when she was abducted by an elderly
man and forcibly kept in a hut with plastic roofing in the jungles of
Wellawaya adjacent to a ganja plantation. A police team finally found
her in a frail condition, along with the suspect, a spokesman for the
National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) told the Sunday Observer.
NCPA said a police team comprising two senior Women Police officers
and a policeman from the National Child Protection Authority left
Colombo in the wee hours of last Monday after receiving a tip off, and
arrived at Thanamalvila. They arrived at a house where the suspect bus
conductor was believed to be hiding and questioned the inmates regarding
the suspect.
The policewomen who noticed a cellular mobile phone on a table
further questioned the inmates regarding the phone. As they could not
give a satisfactory explanation police had suspicion on the phone. The
inmates when grilled further revealed the suspect and the girl were
hiding in a hut close by. The police party then traced both the girl and
the suspect in a hut in Bellulla, Thanamalvila, a desolate area about
one kilometre from Kuda-Oya.
According to the NCPA, the accused was a bus conductor (28) who
befriended the schoolgirl while she travelled to school daily. He
started a love affair with the girl in March this year and persuaded her
to elope with him. Being the only child in the family her parents were
very protective of the girl. Despite keeping a close eye on her the girl
vanished from her home a fortnight ago and did not return home. Although
her parents searched for her in the village they could not trace her.
Later they lodged a complaint at the Meegahawatta police station but it
was of no avail.
A spokesman for the NCPA said the suspect was produced before the
Colombo Chief Magistrate and was remanded till August 20 until
investigations are completed.
The girl was released on a bond and was handed over to her parents.
Meanwhile NCPA is awating a report from the JMO to take further action.
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