11 arrested for raping minor for months in Namakkal district

Police have arrested 11 people and a search is on to trace one more, who is on the run. The victim, who had discontinued studies after Class 6 over financial restraints, worked as a domestic help and stayed at her elder sister’s house. The girl’s parents were daily wagers and have three daughters and a son.

“The girl was raped by her brother-in-law Chinraj multiple times while she was alone in the house. Knowing this, his friends Kumar, Vadivel and Sundaram too sexually assaulted her. Her ordeal did not end with this as she was subjected to sexual torture at the house of her employer Kannan also,” a cop said.

At least seven others, identified as Panneer, Murthy, Abi, Gopi, Sekar, Shankar and Saravanan, had raped the girl at the house of her employer. Unable to bear the torture, she finally mustered up courage to tell her parents, who informed the District Child Welfare officer T Ranjitha Priya.

After a detailed inquiry, the DCWO lodged a complaint at Tiruchengode All Women’s Police Station (AWPS) on Tuesday. Police said Kumar allegedly gave Rs 10,000 to the victim’s mother to silence her from raking up the issue after the girl informed her parents about her ordeal. The victim’s mother spent the money for her husband’s medical expenses.

Police said Kannan, in whose house the victim was working as a domestic help, is a junior engineer at the BSNL office in Kumarapalayam, while all others are into menial jobs.

The accused were booked under various sections of the IPC, including Women’s Harassment Act and POCSO Act. Further investigation is on.