Kerala: 27-year-old woman accuses live-in partner of assault; case filed

Kochi, June 08: A 27-year-old woman, who had been in a live-in relationship with a man, has accused him of sexually and physically assaulting her after locking her up at a flat here for nearly a month, police said on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old man, identified as Martin Joseph from Thrissur, has been on the run since the Ernakulam central police registered a case on April 8 on the basis of the woman''s complaint.

The woman, hailing from Kannur, was also allegedly cheated of Rs 5 lakh by Joseph, police said.

Police said a lookout circular has been issued against Joseph.

The Kochi city police said the two were in a live-in relationship since February 2020 when the woman was working as a fashion designer here.

However, their relationship became strained when the man allegedly took her money amounting to Rs 5 lakh and deposited it in the sharemarket.

Following the alleged brutality inflicted on her, the woman left him and returned to her home in Kannur in December.

But she soon came back to Kochi and joined Joseph after he allegedly threatened her saying that he had her nude photos in his possession,police said.

The man allegedly assaulted her sexually and physically after locking her up in their flat for around 22 days, but she managed to escape from his captivity in March.

She allegedly suffered severe injuries on her body due to the torture, police said.

Joseph has applied for anticpatory bail, according to sources.