Kerala was rattled by a shocking incident in Thiruvalla, where a spa worker was brutally attacked by a gang, they said. The story by the survivor exposed chilling details of the attack, creating widespread apprehensions over organized crime, drug abuse in some local communities and potential links between business rivalry and crime.
It told the survivor that ten people ran into the spa and called it a “quotation,” a term that refers to a contract attack in Kerala. She suspected one of the accused, Subin Alexander Chacko, also known as Marana Subin, was drugged at the time of the attack. The survivor added that it was from the inside that the room was locked, in which she was raped for about 35 minutes, and that a knife was threatened at her neck.
R Anand, the Pathanamthitta district police chief, also confirmed that the Kaapa Act (Kerala Anti-Social Activities Prevention Act) would be imposed once again against Chacko, who had previously been detained under the same law but released in March of 2025. Chacko, 27, and another suspected sex offender, Berlin Das (38), had been arrested, and four others remained on the run. Under the Thiruvalla Deputy Superintendent of Police, a special investigation team has been established to investigate the case. Anand explained the special branch had been informed about the gang rape in advance of a formal complaint being lodged. Officers got to the spa, recorded the survivor’s statement, filed a case as soon as possible, and began their investigation.
The authorities are also investigating whether the attack was attributed to a “quotation” from a competing spa owner. The survivor’s employer, Dr Sanjay, claimed another spa owner had devised the attack to disrupt his business. He added that there appeared to be an “unholy alliance” between some police officers and gangsters that contributed to the incident.
The Thiruvalla spa gang-rape case shows how organized crime, business rivalry and ineffective enforcement of preventive laws together can create a deadly crime scene. The mass arrests, however, are not without obstacles; the continued absconding of several suspects speaks to the difficulties in fighting such crime. It is the survivor's bravery in speaking up that got the matter the focus, and her case is an example of how desperately the need for stronger policing and protection for those vulnerable labor members is crying out for attention.
