Kochi: Roy J Vayalat, the owner of No 18 hotel in Fort Kochi who is the prime accused in a POCSO case, surrendered before the police on Sunday.
Vayalat, caught in a storm over the death of two models last November, surrendered at the Assistant Commissioner's office at Mattanchery.
He turned up before the police even as the cops had launched a manhunt for him after the Supreme Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea. The police had recently searched Vayalat's relatives' houses.
Vayalat was charged under the punishing POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act following the complaint of a Kozhikode woman.
She alleged that Vayalat had molested her 17-year-old daughter during a DJ party at his hotel on November 20, 2021.
Vayalat's partner Saiju Thankachan and his friend Anjali Reema Dev from Kozhikode, accused in the models' death case, are also allegedly involved in this POCSO case.
However, the three were under investigation in the models' death case. Earlier, Vayalat was arrested by the police for destroying evidence in this case but was later released on bail by a magistrate court.
On November 1, models Ansi Kabeer and Anjana Shajan, were killed in a car crash in the city. They had attended a party at No 18 Hotel just hours before.
Vayalat's hotel No 18 too has come under scrutiny after reports made clear that alcohol was served there well late into the night, contrary to a government order.
Police are also investigating a complaint that Anjali had tried to sexually abuse the minor daughter of an employee. Several girls have also come forward with similar complaints.