74-yr-old held, 2 minors booked in TN for sexually exploiting child

The senior citizen was arrested on Wednesday by the Dharmapuri police.

The 10-year-old used to stand guard to the sexual overtures of the old man, and the 13-year-old boy, who is related to the victim, and after knowing of the incident, raped her repeatedly and threatened her with dire consequences if she revealed it to any one.

The man was arrested and remanded to judicial custody. The boys were allowed to stay in their home and would be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board on Thursday. All of them were booked under IPC 363 for  kidnapping and under Section 5(i), 6,7,8 16 and 17 of the POCSO Act.

Station officer at the Dharmapuri All Women Police Station (AWPS), Gomathy told IANS, "The incident came to light when the girl complained of stomach pain and her mother took her to the Government hospital. Doctors informed the mother that the child was sexually abused several times and that she was having mental trauma. The doctors also gave the little girl counselling and advised the family to register a case with us and we commenced investigation and the child narrated her ordeal to us."

The child, whose parents were daily labourers, used to go for work with the little girl left alone at home and she used to attend online classes and also used to play with the neighbours. The 74-year-old man was her neighbour and used the opportunity and asked the 10-year-old boy to lure her to his (74 year old person's) home and there he assaulted her sexually. He asked the 10-year-old boy to stand on guard and to alert him if someone was coming.

Inspector Gomathy said that the 13-year-old boy was her relative and coming to know of her trauma, he also exploited her and recorded the act using a video. The boy threatened her with consequences and that he would show her photograph if she spoke about the incident to anyone, the Inspector said.