An eight-year-old girl was sexually abused by a 14-year-old boy here on Thursday night. Superintendent of Police (rural) V Deivasigamani told Express that the accused had been secured following a complaint by the victim’s mother on Friday morning.
The SP said the victim, a Class III student hailing from a place under Ariyankuppam police station limits, was sent along with her brother to buy some ‘vadas’ from a nearby shop by her mother, a daily wage worker. The boy, a ninth standard drop out, befriended them on the way and send off the victim’s brother to fetch a friend of his. As the brother went away, the boy took the victim forcefully to a nearby place, removed her clothes and sexually abused her. He touched her private parts and tried to force himself upon her. The girl, who managed to run away, narrated the incident to her mother.
Following this, the victim’s mother filed a complaint with the Ariyankuppam police on Friday morning.
The accused was identified from the description given by the victim’s brother and police secured him on Friday morning. The girl was kept under observation at the Rajiv Gandhi Women and Children Hospital, the SP said.
Meanwhile, tension prevailed after relatives of the victim picketed the Ariyankuppam police station demanding that the culprit should not go unpunished. Police personnel led by SP Deivasigamani pacified the crowd and assured them that action would be taken against the culprit.
Deivasigamani told Express that the Child Welfare Committee was informed about the incident and added that a case was filed under Section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Meanwhile, Child Welfare Committee chairperson Vidya Ramkumar told Express that the child protection officer of the CWC had visited the victim at the hospital and a report would be submitted soon. The victim would be counselled, she said and added that the accused boy would also be given counselling as he is a minor.