Thiruvananthapuram: In a surprising twist in the sexual assault case involving a cricket coach in Kerala, suspicions have arisen that the email account belonging to the individual who filed the sexual harassment complaint against Kerala Cricket Association Coach Manu may have been hacked.
The complaint against Manu was reportedly sent from the victim’s parent’s email account. The parent now claims that all the emails sent as complaints to the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) and the District Cricket Association have been removed.
“All complaints sent to KCA and the District Cricket Association via email have been deleted. Along with this, all emails from February to June have been deleted from the ‘Sent Mail’ folder. All mail has been removed from the trash folder. It is suspected that this was done by accessing the email account from another device,” the parent said, adding that they have filed a complaint with the Cyber cell and the Commissioner.
Manu, who coached for KCA in Thiruvananthapuram, allegedly exploited many minor girls under the guise of cricket practice. The girls reported that they were taken to a cricket tournament in Tenkasi, where they were raped and photographed in a hotel. Currently, the police have registered a case against Manu based on six complaints received. Meanwhile, more people continue to come forward with allegations against the accused. Manu is currently in remand.
The accused has served as a cricket coach in Thiruvananthapuram for around ten years. A year and a half ago, a girl filed a molestation complaint against him, leading to his arrest and the police filing a charge sheet. However, Manu was acquitted after the complainant changed her statement. Despite this, he continued to work as a coach for KCA in Thiruvananthapuram.
A new complaint against Manu emerged three weeks ago during a Pink Cricket Tournament organised by the Kerala Cricket Association. The complaint stated that Manu sexually assaulted a girl under the guise of training. Following the registration of the case, more girls came forward with similar complaints. To date, the police have registered cases based on the complaints of six girls. An investigation was conducted in Tenkasi based on statements that Manu took the girls there and tortured them.
Complaints also indicate that Manu inappropriately touched the girls during net practice.
The accused regularly bought and kept these photos on his mobile phones. The police have taken two mobile phones used by the accused into custody.