A 34-year-old vlogger and director of an Islamic academy in Kerala has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl multiple times after promising to cure her physical ailments through prayers, police said on Sunday.
A 34-year-old vlogger and director of an Islamic academy in Kerala has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl multiple times after promising to cure her physical ailments through prayers, police said on Sunday. The accused, identified as Mohammed Niyas Jouhari, heads the Habibiyya Islamic Academy in Ochira and hails from Devikulangara in Alappuzha district. A case has been registered against him under various provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
According to news agency PTI, the girl’s paternal grandmother had approached Niyas, believing that prayers could help treat the teenager’s health problems. Police said the accused allegedly gained the family’s confidence by claiming that he could cure the girl’s ailments through religious practices.
Police alleged that between 2025 and 2026, Niyas took the minor to different locations and sexually abused her on multiple occasions.
The alleged abuse came to light after the girl gathered the courage to disclose her ordeal to her family. Acting on her complaint, Ochira police registered a case and detained the accused from Karunagappally on Saturday night.
His arrest was formally recorded on Sunday following interrogation, police said.
According to police, Niyas has a significant social media following, with more than one lakh followers across various platforms and over two lakh subscribers on YouTube.