The Coimbatore District Police on Tuesday arrested three persons for alleged sexual assault on a 12-year-old girl, after her transwoman neighbour alerted the Child Line about her ordeal. The arrested persons include a 27-year-old relative of the girl, a 15-year-old boy who claimed to have been loving the girl, and a 48-year-old friend of her father.
According to the police, the girl was living with her alcoholic father and mentally-challenged mother in a village near Thondamuthur in Coimbatore district. The girl told the transwoman neighbour on Monday that she was sexually assaulted by three persons. The transwoman, aged 30, informed the Child Line about the minor girl’s ordeal.
Child Line worker Krishna Kumari visited the girl on Tuesday and later lodged a complaint with the All Women Police Station, Perur, seeking action against the three persons. The investigation conducted by inspector S. Amutha revealed that the 27-year-old relative, also a neighbour, took the girl to his house on February 12 and sexually assaulted her. The police found out that the 15-year-old boy, took her to a jungle near the village and sexually assaulted her earlier this month. The third accused, a friend of the girl’s father, sexually assaulted her when she travelled with her father and the former a week ago.
The police arrested the three accused for offences under Sections 5 (m) (whoever commits penetrative sexual assault on a child below twelve years), 5 (l) (penetrative sexual assault on the child more than once or repeatedly) read with 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault), 9 (aggravated sexual assault) and 10 (punishment for aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
