Three more held for sexual assault of 14-year-old in Mayiladuthurai
NAGAPATTINAM: Police arrested three more men near Mayiladuthurai on Saturday for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl belonging to a tribal community. The child delivered a baby in the Mayiladuthurai Government General Hospital last week.
C Radhakrishnan (73), known as ‘Thoppai’, a retired sanitary worker from Manalmedu, 'Appu' C Raj, a 24-year-old from Kadalangudi, and S Senthil Kumar (47), a local businessman from Thiruvalaputhur, were arrested under provisions of the POCSO act.
The case first came to light when the child was admitted to the GH by her family on July 18. Although her family had falsified information pertaining to her age and marital status, suspicious hospital staff alerted the district child protection unit (DCPU). Subsequently, the child’s 25-year-old brother-in-law was arrested for allegedly raping and impregnating the child based on a statement from the girl’s mother. However, villagers have claimed that the brother-in-law was not the perpetrator and that others from “more privileged backgrounds” were involved. Radhakrishnan and Senthil Kumar are from a dominant caste Hindu community and have also been booked under the SC/ST Act. ‘Appu’ is from a tribal community.
“We have arrested these three people for sexual assaults and molestation based on the child’s statements. Involvement of more people was initially suspected and the investigation is underway,” said K Annadurai, the DSP of Mayiladuthurai police subdivision. The police added that the suspects would be subjected to a potency test.
The police are unsure as to who impregnated the child. “We cannot take DNA tests for the newborn right now. It could take a few more weeks. Once the child recovers, she will be presented before a magistrate and we will proceed with the court’s directions,“ Annadurai added.
Meanwhile, the future of the newborn is uncertain. Nagapattinam District Child Protection Officer N Sivakumar said that a decision would be made after counselling the child and assessing possibilities of the baby being raised by the family. He added that the DCPU has filed a complaint against the mother for not reporting the abuse against her child earlier. “We also learnt from the villagers that there could be more suspects. There were more people from the village and surrounding villages who reportedly visited the girl. It is up to the police to investigate,” he said.