Hostel manager charged with sexual abuse of 14 girls in Eluru

Eluru: The manager of an unregistered girls' hostel in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, is accused of sexually harassing at least 14 residents. According to Eluru II Town Police Inspector YV Ramana, the case of multiple sexual offences came to light after seven victims reported their experiences to the police on Tuesday. The accused, Sashi Kumar, who worked as a social worker in a boys' hostel in BC while also managing the unregistered institution, is currently evading arrest.

Manager ran a photo studio

Besides working at the hostel, he ran a photography studio in the city and was managing the hostel for the past four years. The residents, who are students of various educational institutions in Eluru, were staying at the hostel as paying guests. Authorities have stated that the hostel does not have the necessary operating permits. Preliminary investigations suggest that the original management of the hostel did not maintain it during the Covid-19 pandemic, so Sashi Kumar took control. He appointed his second wife as the manager and his niece as the caretaker.

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Attack in the boys' dormitory

The victims told police that the accused took them to the movies and then sexually abused them at a nearby boys' hostel. Those who resisted were physically abused and forced to kneel as punishment. One victim alleged that the accused took her to Bapatla on September 15 under the pretext of a photoshoot, where he sexually abused her and returned her to the hostel only the next day. Law enforcement agencies suspect that Sashi Kumar used his photography studio in Eluru to lure girls with the promise of photoshoots and deceive them using manipulative tactics.

POCSO submitted

Eluru DSP Shravan Kumar conducted an inspection of the hostel after the allegations came to light. He confirmed that the police have recorded the statements of the victims to ascertain the full extent of the abuse. Charges have been filed against the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and additional charges will be filed against any accomplices once their involvement is confirmed. Sashi Kumar has been suspended from his post as a social worker at the BC Hostel for Boys. Surya Chakaraveni, the district child protection officer, is also involved in the case.

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