Thiruvananthapuram: Kovalam police arrested two spa owners for allegedly sexually exploiting a 16-year-old girl who was brought to spas in Kovalam by her aunt and her husband. Police are also investigating the alleged benami business links of a health inspector in Thiruvananthapuram with a spa in Kovalam, with police obtaining records indicating frequent phone contact between the official and the accused.The arrested have been identified as Sajith Kumar (47), who runs spas at Thozhichal and Chappath in Kovalam, and Nishanth (46), the owner of a spa at Avaduthura, Kovalam. The girl’s aunt and her husband, who are the first and second accused in the case, have absconded, police said. Police have extended the investigation to Andhra Pradesh to trace them.Kovalam circle inspector V M Sreekumar said the health inspector’s alleged links with the spa were being examined and further investigation was under way. More arrests are likely, he said.The case came to light during an investigation into a missing-person complaint filed by the girl’s aunt. The girl, a native of Andhra Pradesh who lost her parents at a young age, had been under her aunt’s care. Police said the girl was initially taken to a spa run by Sajith Kumar, and she was allegedly sexually exploited for months there. The aunt and her husband were also staying at the spa. Following a fallout, they shifted to the spa owned by Nishanth.On Sept 19, the girl eloped with a young man from Neyyar Dam whom she had met at the first spa. Following a complaint by her aunt, police traced the girl and produced her before a court, which subsequently handed her over to relatives.During the investigation, police found two Aadhaar cards belonging to the girl on the phone possessed by her aunt. One card recorded her age as 20, while the other showed her age as 16. Suspecting that the girl was a minor, police moved her to a shelter home.During counselling at the shelter home, conducted with the assistance of a translator, the girl disclosed sexual exploitation. Police subsequently contacted schools in Bengaluru and Andhra Pradesh where she had studied and established that she was a minor.The girl also told investigators that she had earlier been taken to spas in Bengaluru and Chennai and sexually exploited. Police said the aunt and her husband fled after learning that the investigation was closing in on them. Although the girl went missing on Sept 19, the aunt lodged a complaint only on Sept 21.Meanwhile, police intensified inspections at tourist destinations following the case.“The raids would continue in the coming days and strict action would be taken against unauthorised establishments. Police are also investigating the health inspector’s alleged links with the spa and the possible involvement of others in the case,” the Kovalam CI said.
