Kerala woman booked under POCSO for alleged assault of teen girl

A 25-year-old woman in Kerala's Kasaragod district has been booked under the POCSO Act for allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl. The complaint emerged after counselling sessions, while police said the accused is linked to multiple other POCSO cases

Kasaragod (Kerala): A 25-year-old woman has been booked for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage girl here, police said on Friday. Accused Sneha Merlin, is a resident of Pulliparamba in Kannur. According to the police, the incident took place a few months ago and the 16-year-old victim did not initially disclose it to anyone.

It was only during a counselling session that the parents came to know about the incident and subsequently lodged a complaint against Merlin, who is a friend of the victim’s mother.

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Police said that Merlin, in her capacity as a friend, regularly visited the house and on one such occasion, allegedly sexually assaulted the girl.

Police have registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and her arrest would be recorded soon, officials said.

Police added that Merlin was already involved in three other POCSO Act cases registered at the Taliparamba police station, including the alleged sexual assault of a girl in March 2025.

The other two victims in those cases were minor boys, including the brother of the girl involved in the Thaliparamba case. Apart from these offences, she was also allegedly involved in other criminal cases, police said, adding that further investigation into her background is currently underway.