Based on an alert that two youth of Duraisamypuram village had allegedly sexually harassed a 16-year-old teenage girl from Assam, members of Madurai-based NGO Evidence visited the village at Sivakasi Taluk in Virudhunagar district two days ago. The members rescued the girl and boy, both from Assam.
“The girl told us that two villagers tried to molest her. When she raised an alarm, they escaped,” said A Kathir, executive director of Evidence. The girl also said the villagers paid her Rs 10,000 to maintain silence about the incident. Kathir said the two teenagers were lovers who had escaped from Assam fearing their parents. After they reached Sivakasi, they worked with a paper cutting company and staying in Duraisamypuram.
The NGO members handed them over to Child Welfare Committee in Virudhunagar. The CWC members sent them to a home after an inquiry, added Kathir.