Imam's brothers taken into custody from Ernakulam

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police team investigating the alleged sexual abuse of a minor girl by former Imam Shafeek

Al Qasimi

, took his three brothers into custody as part of the probe.

The brothers, Al Ameen, Shaji and Ansari, were taken into custody from

Ernakulam

by members of the shadow police squad under Thiruvananthapuram rural district police.

The shadow team has been in Ernakulam for the past two days after learning that Qasimi was in the district too to file his anticipatory bail plea before the high court. But Qasimi once again evaded the cops and remains at large.

Crime branch (Thiruvananthapuram rural) DSP D Asokan, who is investigating the case, said the three men had been taken into custody on suspicion of helping the accused in escaping and also hiding his car, a Toyota Innova. The police have recovered the car from Ernakulam.

''We will question them once our team brings them here and if they had helped the accused, we will record their arrest," the DSP said, adding that efforts were on to track down the accused.

Meanwhile, there are also rumours that Shafeek Al Qasimi might surrender before the police anytime soon as the high court dismissed his bail plea.

It was nearly two weeks ago that Qasimi was caught by a group of Kudumbashree women along with a 15-year-old girl in his car at a deserted location near Forest at Peppara. He managed to flee from the spot in his car, dropped off the girl at her house and went on the run.

A case was registered only on Tuesday after the girl and her family refused to give their statement against him. Tholicode Jama Ath committee expelled him from the post of the chief imam on the basis of the findings of an independent inquiry they conducted.