Kochi: Kuruppampady police have recorded the arrest of the woman whose daughters were sexually abused by her live-in partner. She was held on charges of covering up the crime. The woman’s arrest was recorded on Friday night, and she has been remanded in judicial custody.

Earlier, the woman’s live-in partner, a taxi driver named Dhanesh, was arrested and remanded on charges of sexually abusing the girls aged 12 and 10. The woman was arrested based on the elder girl’s statement that she had informed her mother about the ordeal.

Though the girl had told her teachers that her mother knew about the incident, she did not mention it in her statement to the police. However, she made it clear in her confidential statement before the magistrate, leading to her arrest.

During the interrogation, the woman told the police that her live-in partner used to intoxicate her and the girls. The woman has been charged under Section 19 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which mandates that a person who has knowledge of a sexual offence against a child must report it to the police.

She has also been slapped with Section 87 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which deals with abetment of an offence. An officer involved in the investigation said the main accused confessed that he targeted the girls in a bid to get rid of the woman.

''He said he wanted to end the relationship with the woman and carry on with his family. He said he thought she would leave him if she learned about the incident. But we did not believe his claim,'' the officer said.

The man has been in a relationship with the woman for at least three years, the police said. He was a friend of her husband. The woman’s husband died two years ago. The couple had been separated six months earlier.

Dhanesh landed in the police net based on a letter written by the elder girl to one of her classmates. The man saw the photos of her classmates on the mother’s phone, and he was attracted to one girl. He asked the elder girl to invite her classmate to her home.

The elder girl wrote a note to her friend saying 'someone wants you to come to our home'. The girl whom Dhanesh wanted to be invited to the house is the daughter of a teacher in the school. She informed her mother about the note. The teachers and the principal immediately took note of the incident and alerted the police.

''That the man wanted to use other girls also shows that he is a paedophile. He has abused the girls on multiple occasions,'' the officer told Onmanorama. The District Child Welfare Committee has taken care of the minor children. They will be sheltered at the Government Girls' Home in Kakkanad after being given counselling.