A special court for exclusive trial of POCSO cases in Tiruvallur district, on Wednesday, December 24, sentenced 35-year-old Kale Biswakarma, a migrant worker from Assam, to double life imprisonment for the abduction and rape of an eight-year-old girl near Arambakkam railway station earlier this year.
Special Judge C Uma Maheshwari convicted Biswakarma under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, including rape, kidnapping and criminal intimidation. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.45 lakh and ordered interim compensation of Rs 3 lakh for the survivor’s rehabilitation.
The offence took place on July 12, when the child was returning from school to her grandmother’s house in the afternoon. Police said the accused stalked the girl, abducted her near the railway station and dragged her into a nearby mango grove, where he sexually assaulted her before fleeing the scene.
The incident, partially captured by a CCTV camera at a nearby shop, triggered widespread public outrage and protests, especially as the suspect remained at large for nearly two weeks. With only grainy CCTV visuals and the victim’s description available initially, the Tiruvallur police launched an intensive, technology-driven investigation.
Special teams comprising more than 60 officers were deployed across districts, railway stations and migrant settlements in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states. Investigators used artificial intelligence tools to reconstruct the suspect’s facial image from blurred footage of him travelling on a local train. The AI-generated image was widely circulated after the Tamil Nadu government announced a Rs 5 lakh reward for information leading to the accused’s arrest.
Biswakarma was eventually traced at Sullurupeta railway station in Andhra Pradesh on July 25. A native of Dibrugarh district in Assam, he had been working at a dhaba in Sullurupeta for over a decade and frequently travelled on local trains to Chennai. Police said he had changed his workplace after the crime in an attempt to evade arrest.
The investigation was completed in 40 days, with forensic and DNA analysis conclusively linking the accused to the offence. Statements of witnesses, including the survivor, were recorded before a judicial magistrate, and the crime scene was digitally documented.
To ensure a speedy trial, a dedicated trial-monitoring mechanism was put in place. “We constituted a dedicated trial-monitoring team to ensure witnesses were produced without delay and no adjournments were sought, enabling the trial to conclude swiftly in nearly three months,” Tiruvallur Superintendent of Police Vivekananda Shukla said.
Inspector General of Police (North Zone) Asra Garg told The Federal that close coordination between investigators, prosecutors and the judiciary helped deliver justice within five months of the crime. “Meticulous investigation using the latest digital tools, forensic analysis and sustained efforts during the trial contributed to bringing justice to the victim and her family.”
