69-yr-old man sentenced to 16-yr jail term for abusing minors

TIRUVALLUR: The Tiruvallur District Women’s Court on Wednesday sentenced a 69-year-old man to 16 years in prison on charges of sexually harassing three minor girls in Avadi.

The police said that two months ago the accused, Balaram Singh, a resident of Kamaraj Nagar in Avadi had allegedly sexually harassed an eight-year-old girl. Based on a complaint from the victim’s parent, the police booked the accused under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and took him in for further enquiry. “On further investigations, apart from confirming that he was guilty of harassing the girl, we also found that the accused had sexually harassed two other minor girls,” police said.

When the case came before Tiruvallur District Women’s Court on Wednesday, the judge sentenced him to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment under the Pocos Act and also fined him with Rs 4,500. The accused has been remanded under judicial custody in Puzhal prison.