CHENNAI: An all-women police station team in Chennai on Monday arrested a television reporter in connection with the case in which a 13-year-old girl was pushed into prostitution by a relative and sexually assaulted multiple times.
The journalist, 39-year-old Vinoba G, is the 16th accused to be arrested in the case. Earlier, the girl's six relatives, a police inspector, a BJP functionary, a few brokers as well as men who raped her over a period of two months were arrested. Vinoba of Vinoba Nagar in Tondiarpet is a reporter in a private TV channel and is also into financing, said police.
"Vinoba lent money for interest to the main accused Madhan and his sister Sandhya and is very close to them. It is through that link that he sexually assaulted the 13-year-old girl three times in a period of two months, including inside the office of the BJP functionary," said a police officer.
“Whenever Vinoba visited Madhan, he preyed on the girl. The victim remembered him very well,” said the police.
The 13-year-old girl from Perumbakkam was sent by her mother to her niece's house in Vyasarpadi where she was allegedly first raped by niece's second husband Madhan before she was pushed into the flesh trade.
Six relatives of the victim were arrested in the case. They had allegedly colluded with various brokers in the flesh trade to send the child to them at a weekly package of Rs 1.5 lakh. The brokers then allegedly invited their regular customers to sexually assault the girl. Police said a few more men will be arrested in the case.