Shop owner held for sexual assault on staffer

KOCHI: The police have arrested the owner of a textile showroom in the city on charges of sexually assaulting a woman staff er and later using the videos of the assault to threaten her for money.

Saneesh, 43, of Muthalakkudam, Thodupuzha, was nabbed by a police team led by Central Police Station Circle Inspector S Vijayashankar based on a complaint lodged by the victim. 

The police said Sanish, who owns a textile showroom at Vyttila, trapped and sexually abused the woman who was an employee at his shop. He proposed to victim and convinced her that he would marry her. The accused who took her to a hotel in the city sexually assaulted her and also recorded videos of it, the police said. The police said the accused later started using the videos to threaten her and sexually assault her repeatedly. 

He also took Rs 50,000 and a gold ring from her after threatening that the videos will be circulated online.The accused had absconded after the woman lodged a complaint with the police. However, the police nabbed him from his hideout at a place near Thodupuzha.

On perusal of his crime records, the police found that a similar sexual assault case was pending against him at the Maradu police station. He is also facing other criminal charges in Thodupuzha, Vanchiyoor and Neyattinkkara police stations. The accused was produced before court and remanded in judicial custody.