Police are on the lookout for a 60-year-old man who allegedly raped an eight-year-old girl at Thondi near here.
The matter came to light when the victim, who had taken ill after the alleged incident, narrated the sexagenarian’s ‘mischief’ to a doctor at a hospital, where she was taken to for treatment.
Police said that the victim was the daughter of a couple running a tiffin centre in the village. On February 22, the girl was sent to deliver idlis to Kottairaja (60), a resident of Pudukudi. The sexagenarian had allegedly taken the girl inside his hut and sexually assaulted her.
The victim did not reveal the incident to her parents as Kottairaja had warned her of dire consequences. However, the same night, the girl fell ill and for the next four days she ran high temperature. On Tuesday, her parents took her to a nearby hospital, where she told the doctor of the incident.
On coming to know that the girl was raped, parents sought the help of village council. Immediately, the villagers decided to hold a ‘kangaroo court’ to punish Kottairaja. However, on information, Devarajan, director of Childline sub-centre, held talks with the villagers. He convinced them to lodge a police complaint.
Later, the victim’s parents lodged a complaint with Thiruvadanai all women police, who registered a case against Kottairaja and his family members . However, no arrests have been made so far as the accused had gone into hiding.