Mangaluru: A 52-year-old orphanage caretaker working at Ullala Noorani orphanage and Dharul Maskin child care center at Kumpala has been arrested on Tuesday, April 6, on charges of physical and sexual abuse of a minor. The arrested is Ayub hailing from Konaje.
Speaking to the media, the police commissioner N Shashi Kumar said that the incident came to light after an awareness programme at TMA Pai Hall for 480 inmates of child care centres and orphanages within Mangaluru city police commissionerate on March 28. “The the police department, the child welfare committee, and KS Hegde Hospital child welfare officer and the School of Social Work, Roshni Nilaya had conducted the programme to create awareness on bad and good touches, child rights, and assessment to know whether the child underwent any kind of abuses and then to conduct counselling for the children,” he said.
“During the programme, we came to know that a 14-year-old boy was undergoing sexual and physical abuse at Noorani Yathim Khana Darul Masakeen Kumpala. In the beginning, the child said about some problems. After two rounds of counselling, the real issue came to light. Twenty such instances in six institutions came to light and a probe is in process.”
He further added that the children have been rescued and shifted to a safe location.
Speaking about the awareness programme, he said that it was conducted completely confidential as the caretakers were not informed on what the programme was all about. “We had projected the programme as related to awareness on Covid. The reason for conducting the programme at TMA Pai Hall was that the children would not feel comfortable sharing anything at the child care centre,” he added.
