Sexual assault during rescue: Police deny lapse in probe

Kottayam: Alappuzha district police chief M P Mohanachandran denied any lapse on the part of police in the investigation into a case in which a woman injured in an accident was allegedly sexually assaulted while being taken to a hospital in Kayamkulam recently.Mohanachandran told reporters in Alappuzha on Monday that the preliminary investigation report was submitted to the DGP. The Kayamkulam DSP was assigned to probe matters including the accused, Sinil Sabad, threatening the woman to get discharged from the hospital. Section 183 was invoked to record her statement confidentially and an application was submitted to the court.Police followed all procedures while registering the case, Mohanachandran said. The accused was granted station bail, likely due to a lack of evidence. The autorickshaw involved in the accident was travelling from Malayattoor to Kollam and rammed the divider at KPAC Junction in Kayamkulam while trying to save a motorcyclist.The assault occurred when Sabad helped shift the woman into another vehicle. The woman reported the incident while an X-ray of hers was taken at the hospital. The police collected all information from the hospital immediately. A medical examination was done the next day. The accident site is not a hotspot and Sabad's house is 200 metres away from there, he said.