Thiruanathpuram (Kerala) [India], November 2 (ANI): A railway porter was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an actress at Thiruvananthapuram North (Kochuveli) railway station on Thursday morning.

The accused, a porter employed at the station, has been arrested by Pettah Police and suspended from service pending further investigation.

According to police, the incident occurred on October 30, at approximately 6:14 AM, when the actress arrived at Platform No. 5 to board the train for a film-related trip. The accused reportedly approached her under the pretext of helping her cross to the opposite platform. He allegedly convinced her that it was unnecessary to cross the tracks and that she could pass through the AC coach of the halted train to reach the other side.

Once inside the train, the accused followed her and, as she attempted to get down, allegedly grabbed her, causing humiliation and mental distress.

Based on the actress's complaint, police registered a case under Section 75(1)(i) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, for using criminal force on a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty.

Railway officials confirmed that a departmental inquiry has been initiated and that the accused has been suspended from duty immediately.

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested former Devaswom Board Executive Officer D. Sudheesh Kumar on Saturday in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case.

According to officials, Sudheesh Kumar was brought to the Crime Branch office at Eanchakkal in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday and questioned for several hours before his arrest was officially recorded today. His arrest marks the third in the case, which involves the alleged theft of gold-plated panels from the Sabarimala temple's Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) panels.

Earlier, the SIT brought the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, to Chennai after conducting a raid at his residence in Bengaluru. On Friday, he was taken to Bengaluru for evidence collection and has been remanded to police custody until October 30. The SIT is probing his involvement in the 2019 theft of the gold-plated panels. (ANI)