IT Professional Identifies Accused in Kazhakoottam Sexual Harassment Case

Thiruvananthapuram: An IT professional who was sexually harassed in her hostel room at Kazhakoottam identified the accused on Monday, police said.
The accused, Benjamin, 35, from Madurai, a lorry operator transporting cargo from Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram, was identified by the victim during a procedure conducted by the police.
According to authorities, the victim had reported that an unidentified man entered her hostel room on the night of October 17 while she was asleep and sexually harassed her. The attacker fled after she woke up and resisted.
A special investigation team was formed, as the victim initially could not identify the perpetrator. Police traced Benjamin after examining CCTV footage and vehicle movements from Madurai on Sunday, and he was subsequently brought to Thiruvananthapuram.
Benjamin had previously been involved in five theft cases in Tamil Nadu. Police said he had come to a shop in Kazhakoottam to transport cargo from Chennai. After unloading, he checked several houses for potential burglary targets. Finding people present, he abandoned those attempts but later identified the hostel as a possible target.
Authorities said the main door of the hostel was open because many inmates, working in different companies, returned late. Benjamin entered the room where the victim was sleeping and sexually harassed her. When she resisted, he fled to his parked lorry.
He left the city on October 18 and went to Kollam for loading cargo back to Madurai. CCTV footage played a crucial role in tracking him, and the Tamil Nadu police assisted in apprehending him. The officer said Benjamin had parked his lorry on the roadside, and following instructions from Kerala police, Tamil Nadu authorities contacted him to move the vehicle, leading to his capture.
Despite an attempted escape, Benjamin was arrested. He was produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody. Police said they would approach the court seeking his custody for further investigation.