Endured sexual assault and physical abuse, Chottanikkara survivor succumbs to injuries

Kochi: The young woman who was brutally assaulted allegedly by her male friend in Chottanikkara passed away on Friday. She had been in a critical condition after being brutally beaten by the friend and was unresponsive to medication. Her life was being sustained with the support of a ventilator.

The woman aged 20 was found inside her house on Sunday afternoon with strangulation marks on her neck and injuries on her arm. She was partially naked, and the wounds on her arm were infested with ants. Chottanikkara Police and her relatives took her to Tripunithura Government Hospital. She was later shifted to Ernakulam General Hospital and subsequently to a private hospital in Ernakulam due to the severity of her injuries.

The accused, Anoop, was apprehended based on CCTV footage.

The victim, also a POCSO Act case survivor, had befriended the accused through Instagram. Anoop had been visiting her residence in Chottanikkara occasionally. The woman was not very close to her mother, who lived in separate quarters, and she usually stayed alone in the house.

On the day of the incident, a dispute led Anoop to violently assault the woman. He reportedly slammed her head against the wall and attempted to suffocate her. According to the police, he even asked her, "Will you only die if I kill you?" Following this, the woman attempted to take her own life. When she was on the verge of death after hanging herself with a shawl, Anoop cut the fabric. Even then, he continued to abuse her, and assuming she had died, he fled the scene, the police stated.