The Thiruvananthapuram Additional Sessions Court on Thursday sentenced a 35-year-old man to 21 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting an elderly woman who resided alone. Additional Sessions Judge Shibu M.P., who found the accused Shafeeq, son of Sajad Hussain, hailing from Payyampally in Nedumangad, guilty of the crime, also slapped a fine of ₹60,000.
According to the prosecution led by Special Public Prosecutor Ajith Prasad J.K., the incident occurred on April 7, 2017, when Shafeeq, a repeat offender with a history of theft and violent crime, broke into the survivor’s residence during the night. The woman, who lived alone, was subjected to a brutal assault and her gold ornaments were stolen.
Fingerprints to the aid
Since it was dark, the survivor was unable to visually identify her attacker. This left the Valiyathura police, which investigated the case, to rely entirely on circumstantial evidence. Fingerprints recovered from a jewellery box at the crime scene matched records maintained by the Fingerprints Bureau for habitual offenders. This forensic evidence proved crucial in apprehending the suspect. Shafeeq was involved in multiple theft cases even after being granted bail in the particular case.
The prosecution presented 21 witnesses, and produced 41 exhibits and 10 material objects. K.B. Manoj Kumar and Ashok Kumar V., who were then Inspectors of Valiyathura police, investigated the case.
Published – July 31, 2025 09:33 pm IST
