THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former chief imam of

,

, wanted in connection with the alleged rape of a minor girl, has finally landed in police custody after almost a month of hot pursuit.

The members of Special Investigation Team probing the case, took Shafeek into custody from Madurai in Tamil Nadu on Thursday morning. The police have also taken his driver, Faisal, into custody and confiscated the car, in which he was travelling.

Crime branch DSP (rural district) D Ashokan, the investigating officer in the case, said that a five-member team of Shadow Cops led by additional sub inspector Shibu had been searching for the accused in Tamil Nadu towns. On Thursday morning, the team received specific information regarding the whereabouts of the accused. Following this, the DSP himself immediately set out for Madurai to lead the operations that led to the capture.

Shafeek Al Qasimi was wanted in connection with a case related to the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl belonging to a family with which he maintained close acquaintanceship. He was caught by a group of Kudumbashree workers engaged in work under employment guarantee scheme near forest region at Peppara, when he reached the spot in a car along with the girl over a month ago.

The women grew suspicious and questioned him. But, he managed to flee from the spot in the car. He dropped the girl at her house and then went underground. The women circulated the pictures they captured on social media and brought the matter to the light.

It took more than a week for the police to register a case as they waited for statements from the girl or her family in this regard.

Initially, the girl as well as her family were not ready to give statement against the imam.

Child Welfare Council intervened and shifted the girl to Nirbhaya shelter home, where she was given counselling.

Finally, after a week of delay, the police registered a case against Shafeek on February 12, with the Jama Ath Committee president’s as the complainant. The Jama Ath Committee had expelled the imam after conducting an independent probe and finding merit in the allegations levelled by the women. A day after registering the complaint, the girl too gave her statement against him.

The police had issued lookout notices in the name of Shafeek Al Qasimi. They had also arrested two brothers and a brother-in-law of the accused on charges of aiding him in escaping and also destroying the evidence pertaining to the case. Shafeek’s arrest is likely to be recorded on Thursday night or Friday morning.