Express News Service By

KANNUR: The police on Monday arrested a 46-year-old man, who claims to possess curing powers, for abandoning a three-day-old in the bushes near Azhikkal lighthouse.

Kunnath Abdul Latheef alias as Purathil Thangal, residing near Puthanpalli at Valiyanoor fathered the girl from a married woman who approached him for treatment.

Last Monday, a local resident found a three-day-old baby in a bush near Azhikkal light house and informed the police. The child was shifted to the “Ammathottil” attached to the district hospital here.

On tracking the records at various hospitals in Kannur relating to women discharged on June 13, police zeroed in on ‘godman’ Kunnath Abdul Latheef and arrested him from a beer parlour in Kannur.

On interrogation, it was found that the accused had fathered the child with a 30-year-old married woman of Kakkad. He had been visiting her house for treating asthma problem. Police found that the woman’s husband is employed abroad and they have three children together.

The woman, who had health issues was visiting the accused, who suggested 16 days’ special treatment.He started visiting her house where he reportedly sexually exploited the woman.

Her husband, who came from abroad four months ago, found her pregnant. When the couple approached Latheef, he said it was a divine intervention and the child would bring them prosperity.

However, when the child was born in a private hospital in the city, they refused to accept her and handed it over to Latheef, who agreed to take care of the child or give it to an orphanage.

But Latheef’s relatives too refused to accept the baby. So he decided to abandon it near a garbage pile and expected it to be killed by the street dogs or wild animals, police said.Abdul Latheef, who was educated upto Class IV has not even attended the madrassa education.

But he has been misleading the madrassa authorities of Valiyannur and enjoying the favours of several people by proclaiming himself as a person with some curing powers.

He treated mostly women of Kannur and Kasargod districts without the knowledge of their husbands. Some people of Valiyannur also acted as agents and they had advertised about him as a person with divine power, police said.