The hostel warden of a prestigious residential school in Udhagamandalam has been apprehended and remanded to judicial custody on Tuesday, February 7, 2024. The accused, Halan Maxwell Sikkyura, a 59-year-old resident of Grace Hill in Coonoor, has been charged with the grave offense of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old male child continuously over a six-month period.

Sikkyura had been serving as a hostel warden in the said residential school for the past 18 months. The victim, a class 5 student, was allegedly subjected to repeated sexual abuse by the accused between the months of 2023 and 2024.

The distressing incident came to light when the victim, who had fallen ill, refused to return to the hostel. Concerned about their child’s sudden change in behavior, the parents approached him and inquired about the cause of his distress. It was during this conversation that the child bravely disclosed the abuse he had been enduring at the school.

In response to a complaint filed by the child’s father, the police swiftly registered a case under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Sikkyura was subsequently apprehended on Tuesday and is now facing charges of aggravated sexual assault and criminal intimidation.

The residential school in Udhagamandalam, known for its academic excellence, currently enrolls over 250 students. As part of their investigation, the police are determined to determine if there are any other victims who may have fallen prey to Sikkyura’s heinous actions.