Villupuram Anbu Jothi Ashram Case: Madras High Court Asks Police To File Action Taken Report

The bench of Justice M Sundar and Justice Nirmal Kumar sought the report while hearing a Habeas Corpus petition with respect to the missing of a 70-year-old inmate Zafirullah from the Ashram.

Anbu Jothi Ashram is a rehabilitation home in Kundalapuliyur, Villupuram. Zafirullah, who did not have any other family was admitted into the Ashram by the petitioner at the request of Salim Khan, Zafirullah’s nephew who lived in the USA. Later, when they wished to meet him and visited the ashram, they found him missing. They were informed by the ashram that Zafirullah had been transferred to the facility in Bengaluru due to wanting of accommodation. However, a visit to Bengaluru also ended in vain as Zafirullah was untraceable and no responsible answer was given by the ashram. Subsequently, a man missing case was filed and later the habeas corpus petition was filed.

After the habeas corpus was filed, the court ordered an investigation into the man missing case. To utter shock, the investigation revealed a series of illegal detention, torture, sexual assault and suspected human trafficking across state borders.

It was found that the home had been functioning without a valid registration or license for almost two decades. The investigation also revealed that the women inmates were raped by the employees. Several other inmates were chained, tortured and attacked by caged monkeys inside the home.

The 142 residents of the home have been shifted to the Government hospital at Mundiampakkam where they are being treated. Further, the police have registered cases of rape and harassment of women against the ashram owners and their workers.

Additional Public Prosecutor R Muniyapparaj informed the court that the owner of the ashram Jubin Baby had been arrested. Further, the investigations have been transferred to the CB-CID. The court then sought an Action Taken Report to be filed by February 27.

Case Title: Halideen v. The Superintendent of Police and others

Case No: HCP 2676 of 2022