A court in Kochi on Friday dismissed bail petition of rape-accused tattoo artist Sujeesh P S.
He was arrested on March 6 after an 18-year-old girl took to social media to narrate her bitter experience in his tattoo studio.
Later, he was charged with rape (Section 376 ), criminal assault on woman (Section 354) and insulting modesty of a woman (Section 509) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Following this, there was a flurry of complaints, including one filed by a French woman, and he was booked in six more cases.
“Granting him bail at this stage may affect smooth progress of the investigation and the possibility of the petitioner influencing witnesses and interfering with the investigation cannot be ruled out. So, considering the nature and gravity of the offence alleged, he cannot be released on bail,” additional sessions court judge Shibu Thomas observed, while rejecting his plea.
Sujeesh had a tattoo studio at Edappally in Kochi. The teenager had alleged that she was raped inside the studio when she was getting inked. Initially, many victims had refused to file complaints fearing social stigma but later they came around after Kochi police commissioner Nagaraju Chakilam ensured them protection and confidentiality. After the incident, police had inspected all tattoo studios in the port city and collected details of employees and their antecedents.
