Popular Kerala preacher raped teen girl citing purification ritual, police say

Muhammed Niyas Jouhari, 34, was arrested on Sunday and sent to judicial custody. (Express photo)

Kerala police have arrested a popular Islamic preacher on charges of sexually abusing a minor girl repeatedly over a period of two months last year.

Muhammed Niyas Jouhari, 34, was arrested on Sunday and sent to judicial custody.

A native of Kollam, he has been active on social media platforms for a while now, with his YouTube channel alone having over 2.25 lakh subscribers.

Police said the preacher allegedly sexually exploited the girl as part of a ritual-cleansing intended to “free her grandmother from the influence of an evil spirit”.

Said an officer in Kollam’s Ochira Police, “Jouhari has been popular as a preacher on social media. The victim’s family has been following his social media pages. The 16-year-old girl and her grandmother went to meet Jouhari at his educational institution, which is meant for nurturing Islamic faith, last year.”
The officer said, “The preacher allegedly convinced the woman that she is under the influence of an evil spirit and requires a purification ritual. He allegedly lured the woman and the girl to his rented premises, where he repeatedly raped the latter for several months starting from last October.”

The officer said, “Recently, the girl, who has been living under the trauma of the abuse, shared the alleged incident with her friends, leading to a case against the preacher. Medical reports and mobile phone chats were considered before making the arrest.’’

He has been arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections pertaining to rape and criminal intimidation.

Police said Jouhari’s digital gadgets will be examined.

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Jouhari, who runs the Habibiyyah Islamic Academy, recently courted controversy after he commented on the clothing of a prominent Muslim actor Nazriya Nazim. The preacher had dubbed the attire un-Islamic.

Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's co... Read More