Two Girls Raped Three Minors Among Six Arrested

The 17-year-old girl lost her parents at a young age and was living with her aunt. Preliminary investigation revealed that the 17-year-old dropped out of school and was searching for a job when a 15-year-old boy befriended her. On the pretext of getting her a job, the 15-year-old took her to two of his friends, who allegedly raped her multiple times since January. In one such instance, the survivor was accompanied by a 13-year-old girl. The perpetrators also raped her. The 17-year-old found that she was pregnant after missing her menstrual cycle for three months. She then informed her aunt, who approached Udumalaipettai police and filed a complaint. Police registered a case against Jeya Kaleeswaran, Mathan Kumar, Barani Kumar and three other boys under the POCSO Act. As per National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in Tamil Nadu rose from 4,415 in 2021 to 4,906 in 2022. Tamil Nadu ranked third in the country, behind Uttar Pradesh and group sex Madhya Pradesh.