Three out of nine teenagers held for raping minors in Tirupur

COIMBATORE: Police on Monday arrested nine people, including three minors, for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in Tirupur.

According to police, the victim was staying with her grandparents in Udumalpet. Her grandparents suspected the physical changes the girl had undergone and took her to a nearby hospital for a medical examination, police said.

“Shockingly, it turned out the girl was four months pregnant. The victim then told her family members that nine people, including three minors, had raped her in the last few months,” police said.

The Udumalpet All Women’s Police Station (AWPS) has registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act based on a complaint. Jaya Kaliswaran (19), Madan Kumar (19), Barani Kumar (21), Prakash (24), Nandagopal (19), Bahava Bharati (22) and three other boys aged 14, 15 and 16 were arrested. All the nine accused hail from the same Udumalpet district. said the police. They were produced before the court and remanded in custody.

The investigation revealed that one of the boys had sexually exploited the girl under the pretext of getting her a job and, along with his friends, threatened the victim.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed as parents and family members of the accused protested outside the office of the Additional Superintendent of Police (ADSP), demanding a proper investigation into the case and release of innocent persons. However, family members of the accused left the spot as police officials requested their cooperation in further investigation of the case.