Five Arrested Under Pocso Act for Assaulting 17-year-old Girl in Thanjavur District

THANJAVUR: In a shocking incident, the police have arrested five individuals under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in Thanjavur district. The accused have been identified as P Sridharan, M Srikanth, R Abinesh, S Aravinthan, and S Raghul. All of them are daily wage workers and acquaintances.

The survivor and Abinesh were known to each other. On December 19, the girl received a call from someone claiming to be Abinesh, who asked her to meet him at a coconut grove near her house. When she arrived at the spot, she found Srikanth, Aravinthan, and Sridharan present, but Abinesh was nowhere to be seen.

They introduced themselves and admitted to mimicking Abinesh’s voice. They claimed that the idea was Abinesh’s. However, Sridharan forcefully took the girl to a secluded area in the grove and raped her. Srikanth also raped her while Aravinthan recorded the heinous acts on his mobile phone.

Upon learning about the incident, the girl’s parents immediately contacted the Child Helpline Number 1098. The officials arrived at their house, recorded the survivor’s statement, and helped her lodge a complaint.

The all-woman police station in Papanasam registered a case against the four men under various sections of the Pocso Act. On Thursday, the accused were apprehended by the police. The survivor was sent to the government hospital for a thorough medical examination.

Subsequently, the police also arrested the fifth accused, Raghul, to whom the video of the assault had been shared by the other accused at his request.