PUDUCHERRY: Three youth have been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls under the pretext of marriage in Puducherry. The arrests were made over two days, with two suspects apprehended on Thursday and one on Friday. According to police, three more are involved in the assault, and probe is on to nab them.
According to police sources, the two victims, aged 13 and 14, had dropped out of Class 9 and were initially befriended by two of the accused. After the assaults, which were carried out under the guise of marriage, the youths abandoned the minors. Following this, two friends of the perpetrators also befriended the girls and similarly assaulted them.
Inspector K Dhanasekharan, overseeing the case, stated, “There are six accused in total, of which three have been arrested so far.” The case came to light when the parents of the girls filed a missing person complaint last Sunday.
Local authorities found the minors loitering near the beach close to their home and brought them to safety.
The girls are currently lodged in an observation home and are receiving counselling. Their statements will be recorded before a Magistrate, according to Inspector Dhanasekharan.
The arrested individuals include Pushparaj alias Raju, 25, a fishmonger from Kurusukkuppam; Mani alias Manimaran, 27, an A/C mechanic from Vaithikuppam; and Vinoth, 28, a cook from the same area.
The police have charged the suspects under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012, specifically Sections 6, 10, and 12, which address aggravated penetrative sexual assault and sexual harassment.
The arrested individuals have been made to undergo medical examinations, police added.