Teen who fled home kidnapped, sexually assaulted by auto driver

CHENNAI: A teenage girl, who fled home after informing family members that she was going to kill self as she was unhappy with them changing her school, was allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted by an autorickshaw driver in Avadi.

Avadi City Police on Thursday arrested the autodriver, Ramakrishnan (38).

Police investigations revealed that the family of the 14-year-old girl moved to Pattabiram from their native district Vellore few months ago.

Her parents had taken up menial jobs in the neighbourhood. “After shifting near the city, the girl who was studying in a government aided school in Vellore was put in a government school here, for which the girl was unhappy with her parents,” said a police official.

The girl reportedly got into fights at school too and the school had summoned her parents. On Wednesday, the girl was upset over this and picked up an argument with her mother and threatened to killed herself.

Around 7 pm, when her younger sister was at home, she allegedly told her that she was leaving the house and walked off.

The auto driver who noticed the young girl walking alone abducted the girl and took her to a secluded spot where he attempted to rape her. Police said that the girl managed to escape from there and ran to the streets where she informed a passerby about what happened to her.

The girl was taken to the nearest police station and the Avadi all women police were informed about the incident.

Based on the information provided by the victim and after perusing the CCTV footages in the neighbourhood, police zeroed in on the suspect and arrested him. Police booked him under Sections of IPC and the Pocso (Protection of children from sexual offences) Act. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.