An inspector at Bengaluru’s Malleshwaram Police station was suspended on Thursday for not registering a case of child sexual abuse.
On Tuesday afternoon, the parents of a 16-year-old-boy rushed to the Malleshwaram Police station to file a complaint alleging that their son had been sexually abused.
Inspector Venkatachalaiah, not only allegedly refused to file an FIR, but also failed to conduct a preliminary probe.
On Thursday, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Praveen Sood and DCP (North) Chetan Kumar Singh suspended Inspector Venkatachalaiah and arrested the accused as well.
A technician with an air-conditioning firm, Syed Ali, whom the family knew well, had visited the survivor’s home along with his apprentice, on Tuesday afternoon to repair the AC.
“The boy’s parents have an office and their home is in the same residential building. After the AC was repaired in the office, the boy’s mother told Abdul to clean the AC in their home, which was just one floor above,” DCP Chetan said.
A short while after Syed Ali and his apprentice went to clean up the AC in the house, the boy ran into his mother’s office and told her that Syed Ali had tried to sexually abuse him.
“Syed Ali told the boy to fetch him a mug of water. When the boy went to the bathroom, Syed Ali followed him and tried to sexually abuse the boy. However, the boy escaped and immediately informed his mother,” the DCP added.
When the boy’s mother asked the two men to wait until the police arrived, Syed Ali allegedly ran away.
When the parents of the boy went to the Malleshwaram Police Station to file a complaint, Inspector Venkatachalaiah alleged told the couple that if an FIR is registered, then the boy would be traumatised as he would have to go through “unnecessary medical tests and will be summoned by the police for questioning”.
“Venkatachalaiah allegedly told the boy’s parents that he would take care of the matter without registering the FIR,” DCP Chetan said.
The boy’s parents then went to DCP Chetan and narrated the series of events. The DCP then informed Police Commissioner Praveen Sood, who directed him to conduct a preliminary probe.
“The inspector has repeatedly denied that the incident took place at all. The preliminary probe revealed that he Venkatachalaiah had not registered the FIR. There was no other option but to suspend him. Additional Commissioner of Police, Malini Krishnamoorthy ordered the suspension. The investigation team has been given one month to probe the matter entirely,” DCP Chetan added.
Meanwhile, Syed Ali, the 28-year-old man from Channapatna has been arrested and booked under Section 12 of POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.