CHENNAI: A nine-year-old girl who was allegedly abused by her stepmother was rescued by the police and child protection office on Thursday. The girl, found with burn injuries, had run away from home and hid for five hours in the motor room of a building next to their house.
The incident happened at Dharapuram near Mogappair. Murugan* (name changed) separated from his first wife and married a single mother in 2019. “We suspect the stepmother tortured the nine-year-old girl. The girl has injury marks on her body including burn injuries. On Thursday, the girl escaped from her house and hid inside a remote motor room in an apartment next to their house,” said a police officer.
Since the girl did not return after a long time, Murugan lodged a complaint at the Nolambur police station. The security guard of the apartment found the girl when he went to switch on the motor. He found injuries on the girl and informed the police control room.
After the investigation, police informed the district child protection unit and sent her to a home. The parents are being questioned, police said. A senior official in the district child protection unit said that the girl is getting medical care and the investigation will resume once the girl is physically and psychologically fit.