T’puram: Tamil Nadu Police are preparing to take into custody the aunt and her husband in connection with the alleged sexual exploitation of a 16-year-old Andhra Pradesh girl at spas in Chennai and Kovalam, as investigators intensify efforts to establish the links between the incidents.A team of Tamil Nadu police officers led by inspector Gauthami from Kodungaiyur police station in Chennai visited Kovalam police station on Thursday to collect details and coordinate further investigation. The team is probing a case in which the girl was allegedly sexually abused at a spa in Kodungaiyur, Chennai, in addition to the alleged exploitation linked to spas in Kovalam.The girl’s aunt and her husband were arrested in Andhra Pradesh and subsequently brought to Kovalam before being remanded in judicial custody. Tamil Nadu Police have initiated legal procedures, including steps to obtain a production warrant, to secure their custody for further interrogation.Police will also seek permission to take the survivor to Chennai as part of the evidence collection process. The move is expected to help the police gather evidence relevant to the alleged abuse in Chennai and establish the sequence of events, officers said.The Tamil Nadu team collected information from Kovalam Police as part of the investigation. The police are pursuing the case across Tamil Nadu, Keralam and Andhra Pradesh to gather evidence and identify the involvement of those suspected to have facilitated the alleged exploitation.Moreover, the special investigation team (SIT) probing the case is expected to seek custody of the spa owners currently in judicial remand for detailed interrogation and evidence collection.Those in remand include spa owners Sajith Kumar and Nishanth, the girl’s aunt and her husband, and Anuroop, a health inspector at the Ulloor zonal office of Thiruvananthapuram corporation.Meanwhile, Kovalam police continued inspections at spas in the tourist destination on Thursday, shutting down five of the eight establishments checked for operating without licences and relevant documents. Kovalam station house officer L Sheena said inspections would continue in the coming days as part of the crackdown following the alleged sexual exploitation of the minor.
