Tiruvallur child kidnap and sexual assault: Accused booked, confesses to crime
After the faux pas, the police grilled suspect for hours before confirming
The image of the suspect captured by CCTV cameras was enhanced using technology (L); the accused in custody
CHENNAI: A day after picking up the suspect allegedly involved in the sexual assault of a 10-year-old child in Arambakkam police station limits in Tiruvallur two weeks ago, the State police on Saturday confirmed the arrest of the man, a 35-year-old guest worker from Assam, working at a dhaba in Sulurpet in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
The arrested person was identified as Raju Bishwakarma (35). The police received a tip off from the public after the suspect's photos were released, with a bounty of Rs 5 lakh cash reward for information on him.
On Friday, police teams secured the accused and brought him back to Tiruvallur for investigation. Inspector General (North Zone) Asra Garg, who was supervising the investigation, confirmed to mediapersons on Friday night that a suspect was in police custody but maintained silence on other details.
After several hours of investigation, an official communication from the State police headquarters on Saturday said that the suspect in custody was indeed the person behind the heinous crime, and added that he was remanded in custody.
IG Garg commended the police teams headed by Deputy Superintendents Jaishree, Tamilarasi, Shanthi, Pugalenthi Ganesh, and Jaffer Siddhiq, and Assistant Superintendent Raveendrakumar Guptha, who followed several leads before finally securing the accused.
It was not an easy task. Only three days ago, the police had picked up a man from Uttar Pradesh undergoing treatment for injuries at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for questioning in connection with the case and later let him off.
The girl, a Class 4 student, was living with her grandparents near Gummidipoondi while her parents stayed and worked in Andhra Pradesh.
While the incident happened on July 12, it came to public attention and triggered outrage after the CCTV footage of the suspect grabbing the girl from behind and taking her into the bushes went viral a few days later.
The video clip showed the man following the girl and gagging her with his hands from behind. As the girl struggled to escape, the man dragged her to the bushes by the side of the road and sexually abused her.
