Sixth arrest recorded in Kovalam spa abuse case

The Special Investigation Team investigating the alleged sexual exploitation and trafficking of a minor girl at a Kovalam spa has made another arrest, bringing the total number of arrests to six. The accused, Maya, is a temporary health inspector from Venganoor and is believed to be directly involved in operating the spa and managing its finances.

The team has previously arrested five others, including a health inspector from the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and the survivor's maternal aunt and her husband, who allegedly brought the Andhra Pradesh-native girl to Thiruvananthapuram. The survivor, who was under the care of her maternal aunt and uncle following her parents' deaths, was reportedly subjected to sexual abuse at multiple spas in Kovalam, Chennai, and Mumbai.

She disclosed this during counseling sessions and later left with a youth she met in Kovalam. The investigation was sparked by a missing complaint filed by her aunt, which revealed discrepancies in the survivor's age on two recovered Aadhaar cards. The survivor was eventually placed in a shelter home, and detailed counseling sessions revealed the full extent of her abuse, prompting police to expand their investigation and take legal action against the perpetrators.