Kerala police have arrested 23-year-old Sneha Merlin&nbsp;in Kannur&rsquo;s Taliparambu for the alleged sexual exploitation of a 12-year-old schoolgirl. The arrest, under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, came after a teacher found inappropriate images on the child&rsquo;s phone.
The teacher, who had checked the child&rsquo;s bag on finding her behaving strangely, and other school authorities confided in the girl&rsquo;s parents. Child Line was also roped in.
After a few counselling sessions, it surfaced that the girl was being exploited sexually. An investigation suggests that Merlin&nbsp;has been in touch with the child for some time now, even giving her a few gifts.
Merlin is also facing charges for assaulting a CPI leader with her helmet.
Police say that the woman had also sexually exploited a 14-year-old boy, threatening to reveal private photos of him if he spoke out about the abuse.

The accused allegedly also abused a 14-year-old boy

POCSO case filed after teacher finds inappropriate photos on the phone of Kerala 12-year-old

Woman Arrested for Sexually Exploiting Minor Girl

POCSO case filed after teacher finds inappropriate photos on the phone of Kerala 12-year-old

March 15, 2025 | 09:30 IST