Three women have been handed double life sentences by a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) special court in Chennai on Wednesday, March 1, after they were found guilty of kidnapping a minor girl and forcing her into sex work across the city in 2016. The court also sentenced three other convicts to rigorous imprisonment, while ordering the girl to be compensated Rs 5 lakh.
It all started when the then 14-year-old girl, who had been rescued from sex work in 2014 and sent to a home in Chennai, was kidnapped by Fathima Moosa, who befriended her. Moosa sold the girl to Mariammal, Sathya, and Thamizh Selvi, who then forced her into sex work for several months.
According to The New Indian Express, Senthil Kumar and Mahendran, staff of a private luxury hotel in Kelambakkam, were involved in the incident, taking the girl to the resort and sending her to customers. The CB-CID police registered a case and arrested the convicts, though one of the accused, Jeyaraj, died during remand in prison.
Mariammal, Sathya, and Thamizh Selvi were handed double life sentences, while Fathima Moosa was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. Senthil Kumar and Mahendran were each sentenced to seven years. Judge M Rajalakshmi ordered the state government to compensate the girl with Rs 5 lakh.