MADURAI: Four teenage boys were apprehended on Sunday in connection with the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Thirumangalam limits in Madurai.
Three of them are 16 years old, and the fourth is 13. Among them, two are studying in school, one in ITI, and one is a dropout. The survivor lives with her mother and siblings in the same locality as the boys.
According to the complaint, the boys forcibly took the girl to an isolated spot in Thirumangalam AWPS limits and sexually assaulted her. This was allegedly not the first time, as they had also sexually assaulted her a few days back.
Three of the boys told the police that they were innocent of the assault charges. An officer said the three claimed that the fourth one, a 16-year-old, was in love with the girl and had sexually assaulted her. Meanwhile, the boy who was said to be in love refused to admit the charges.
On the other hand, the girl remained firm in her statement that all four sexually assaulted her. Government Rajajaji Hospital doctors examined the survivor and stated that she is a child with special needs.
The teenagers were booked at Thirumangalam AWPS under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, on Saturday and produced before the juvenile justice board on Sunday. The boys were then shifted to a government observation home in the Madurai city limits. An inquiry is still pending in the case, the police said.