On Monday, when the world observed Human Rights Day, three minor girls were tied to an electric pole and thrashed by a mob in Salem district on suspicion that they had stolen Rs 1,000 from a tailoring shop. The girls, all of them school dropouts in their teens, were later rescued by police.
Salem District Child Welfare Committee Chairman
A Xavier and District Child Protection Officer A Devaki lodged a police complaint seeking action against those who had inhumanly beaten up the girls.
Police said a few days ago the girls had visited a tailor shop owned by a person called Ahmed on Kanakkar Street and allegedly stole the cash after diverting his attention and vanished. On Monday, Ahmed spotted the girls at a textile shop in Kalarampatti and accosted them along with some locals.
Later, the locals tied the girls to an electric pole and thrashed them before handing them over to police. The girls allegedly admitted to committing petty thefts and police recovered Rs 850 cash from them. The girls, aged between 16 and 17, had dropped out of classes VII, X and XII. They were produced before a court and lodged at a juvenile home.
The police have informed their parents. Meanwhile, acting on complaints lodged by Xavier, Devaki and the girls, police have booked Ahmed and three women for wrongfully restraining and hurting the girls.