Kerala: 70-year-old woman raped during robbery, accused threw ice powder at her | Latest news from India

Police have arrested a 29-year-old man from Kanakakunnu, named Dhanesh, in connection with the crime. He allegedly stole around seven sovereigns of gold from the elderly woman and was caught while trying to sell the jewellery.

The accused allegedly attacked the old woman after knowing that she lived alone. According to police, the victim was raped after the accused threw ice powder and unbalanced the old lady.

“He left the house after locking the door from the outside. He also took her mobile phone. She could not contact anyone. The neighbors found her this morning, took her to the hospital and informed us,” police said.

He has been charged under the relevant law, police said, adding that further investigations into the case are ongoing.

Hema committee report shocks Kerala

The Left government in Kerala is under increasing pressure to respond to the findings of the Hema Judicial Committee report on widespread sexual abuse in the Malayalam film industry.

On Saturday, the LDF government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by women IPS officers to investigate widespread allegations of sexual abuse that have surfaced in the mainstream media and social media, backing away from its earlier position that the absence of a concrete complaint precludes prosecution.

Actor Siddique resigned from his post as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) after he was sexually harassed by a young actress. The chairman of the Chalachitra Academy in the state of Kerala, Ranjith, tendered his resignation after Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra accused him of inappropriate behaviour during a project discussion.