CUDDALORE: The CB-CID police arrested two key accused on Wednesday in connection with a 2014 case of kidnapping and violations of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, involving minor girls forced into prostitution near Cuddalore. The accused had been absconding for seven years.
According to CB-CID police sources in Cuddalore district, in 2014, S Sathishkumar (39) from Udaiyarpalayam in Ariyalur district and his wife S Tamilarasi (39) allegedly kidnapped two schoolgirls, aged 14 and 13, from Thittakudi in Cuddalore district.
The couple trafficked the girls to various locations, including Thittakudi, Virudhachalam, Vadalur, Koliyanur, Neyveli, and Salem, where they were forced into prostitution through local brokers.
After a week, the girls managed to return home in a state of ill health. Upon questioning by their parents, the children disclosed their ordeal. "Shocked by the incident, the parents lodged a complaint at Thittakudi police station, leading to a case being registered and an investigation initiated," a police source said.
Following the investigation, the police charged 22 individuals, including Sathishkumar and Tamilarasi. In 2016, the case was transferred to the CB-CID. Subsequently, the police filed a chargesheet in the Cuddalore Mahila Court. However, in 2018, three accused, including Sathishkumar and Tamilarasi, absconded.
Despite their absence, in January 2019, the Cuddalore Mahila Court convicted 16 accused, excluding the three fugitives, and sentenced them to imprisonment. Meanwhile, two other accused, Nammazhvar and Senthilkumar, died due to health complications during the trial, and one person was acquitted.
In 2024, CB-CID police arrested another fugitive, Jebina (40), and remanded her in custody. Since then, they had been searching for the remaining absconding accused. Recently, police received intelligence that Sathishkumar was employed at a private company in Coimbatore.
"Acting on this information, CB-CID officers apprehended him from Karumathampatti in Coimbatore district. Based on his statement, police located Tamilarasi, who had been working as a domestic helper and residing in Tiruvannamalai. She was also arrested and brought to Cuddalore," a police official said.
Both accused were produced before the court on Wednesday and remanded to judicial custody. "We have taken measures to proceed with the case to ensure punishment for the absconding accused, whom we arrested after an extensive search," the police source added.