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Nine people, including seven juveniles, were arrested by the Fort All-Women police in Trichy under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) on Saturday June 6, for allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
According to a report in The New Indian Express, the girl from Mudaliarsathram in Trichy went missing on May 14. Following a complaint lodged by her parents, the Palakkarai police filed a case and launched a search operation. They found the girl at the park in the city on May 15 and informed her parents.
A report in The Hindu quoting police sources said the girl had left her home on her own, and this was her third time she had done so. After the girl refused to return to her parents, alleging lack of parental care, she was put up in a children's home.
At the children's home, the girl informed the staff about the sexual abuse she faced. The management alerted the District Child Protection officer (DCPO) immediately.
A team from the Child Welfare Committee in Trichy met the girl and recorded a detailed statement. She was allegedly sexually abused on different occasions by individuals named A Mohanraj (19), M Kishore (20), both from Sangillyandapuram, and seven minor boys who had befriended her on Instagram.
Following a detailed inquiry report and a formal complaint lodged by DCPO, the Fort All-Women Police registered a case under the POCSO Act on Thursday, June 4th.
The police have arrested Mohanraj, Kishore, and seven juveniles. The two youths were remanded in Trichy Central Prison, and the juveniles were sent to a government observation home in Thanjavur.
This article was written by a student interning with TNM