Hyderabad: Women Jailed For Exploiting A Boy

Hyderabad: A mother who engaged a self-declared faith healer to ward off ‘evil spirits’ that possessed her 12-year-old son was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in an attempt to murder case by a city court on Wednesday. While the healer, who had sexually exploited the boy, was sentenced for life under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and also under the IPC for attempt to murder.

The incident was reported in the Kanchanbagh police station limits in 2016. According to the police, in September 2016, a case was registered against Faiyaz Mehmood Ansari (38), a self-declared healer and resident of Hafeezbabanagar and the 36-year-old woman, a resident of Pahadishareef.

Ansari claimed he possessed supernatural powers and frequented the woman’s house.

“He convinced her that evil spirits had possessed her 12-year-old son. Believing him, she handed over the child to him with Ansari then torturing and sexually exploiting the boy in the name of ‘warding off spirits’,” said J Venkat Reddy, SHO, Kanchanbagh.

The child’s father, who was abroad, returned meanwhile and found that the child was not well. On finding out about the torture, he approached the then DCP (South) V Satyanarayana, who directed the Kanchanbagh police to book a case against the fake healer. Two special teams formed under supervision of the DCP later nabbed both Ansari and the woman. A laptop seized from Ansari revealed several videos showing the child being tortured, including by pouring hot water on his legs. Ansari, during interrogation, also admitted to sexually exploiting the child.

The court, apart from the imprisonment, has slapped fines on both the convicts, apart from ordering that Rs. 60,000 from the total fine amount of Rs.65,000 should be paid to the child.