Chennai

The abuse came to light after the victims called the child helpline number, 1098. The Juvenile Aid Police Unit (JAPU) of the city police and the CWC workers rushed to the home called ‘SEERS’ (Socio-Economic Education) Rehabilitation Society at Sathyamurthy Nagar in Vyasarpadi on Monday.

While the director of the home, Kalyanasundram, had escaped, investigation revealed that the home had been functioning without a licence since 2000.

Police sources said that two of the 18 girls were college students, while two others are Class 12 students. The others are in Class 10, 9, 7 and 5. Deputy Commissioner H Jayalakshmi and team conducted inquiries with the children and found that Kalayanasundaram’s brother and son and a few others have sexually exploited the victims.

The girls were produced before Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) officials and will be shifted to the other authorised orphanage homes, said police.

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