A 45-year-old badminton coach in Thiruvananthapuram who was remanded in judicial custody after being arrested on charges of POCSO Act for sexual assault of one of his students was released in police custody for interrogation here on Monday. Thiruvananthapuram POCSO Court Judge M P Shibu allowed the release of the accused from judicial to police custody for three days.

The survivor was sexually abused by her coach in his residence and various places where he accompanied her to tournaments. According to the case filed by Poojappura police, he also took nude videos and images of the survivor on his mobile phone and threatened to circulate them if she told anyone about the abuse. In November, the survivor, who was mentally harassed by the accused, citing the matter of nude videos, told her mother about the abuse, which had begun in 2019. Poojappura police filed a case and arrested the accused on November 9.

The investigating official submitted a custody application to the court in which it was cited that the accused has to be questioned as part of collection of digital evidence and to garner information about places where he had allegedly abused the girl. He will also be taken to the coaching centre to collect evidence. Public prosecutor Kattaikonam J K Ajith Prasad appeared for the prosecution.