VILLUPURAM: A 39-year-old self-styled godman has been arrested in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor girl near Tindivanam.
The Tindivanam all-woman police also arrested his two friends on charges of helping him in committing the crime. The police rescued the 17-year-old girl from the godman.
The police said the minor girl left home after a quarrel with her mother on December 13. Her mother lodged a complaint with the Tindivanam all-woman police on December 15. The police traced her mobile signal to Athur village in Chengalpet district. A team, which reached the village on Thursday, rescued the girl confined in a house.
The girl told the police that she was waiting for a bus at a bus stop in Keezhathanur when Ellappan, a self-styled godman from Edayathur who came in an auto, convinced her to go with him.
Ellappan took her to the house of his friend M Prabha alias Appu, 35, an auto driver from Thirutherapoondi, and confined her for five days. He later took her to the house of another friend, A Chinnapaiyan, 53, and confined her in the house and sexually assaulted her for more than five days.
The police booked Ellappan under sections 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 354 A, (sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (1) (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 8 (punishment for sexual assault), 5 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault), 5 (l) (whoever commits penetrative sexual assault on the child more than once or repeatedly) and 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012. Prabha and Chinnapaiyan were booked under Section 17 (punishment for abetment) of Pocso Act.
They were remanded in judicial custody.
The Tindivanam all-woman police also arrested his two friends on charges of helping him in committing the crime. The police rescued the 17-year-old girl from the godman.
The police said the minor girl left home after a quarrel with her mother on December 13. Her mother lodged a complaint with the Tindivanam all-woman police on December 15. The police traced her mobile signal to Athur village in Chengalpet district. A team, which reached the village on Thursday, rescued the girl confined in a house.
The girl told the police that she was waiting for a bus at a bus stop in Keezhathanur when Ellappan, a self-styled godman from Edayathur who came in an auto, convinced her to go with him.
Ellappan took her to the house of his friend M Prabha alias Appu, 35, an auto driver from Thirutherapoondi, and confined her for five days. He later took her to the house of another friend, A Chinnapaiyan, 53, and confined her in the house and sexually assaulted her for more than five days.
The police booked Ellappan under sections 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 354 A, (sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (1) (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 8 (punishment for sexual assault), 5 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault), 5 (l) (whoever commits penetrative sexual assault on the child more than once or repeatedly) and 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012. Prabha and Chinnapaiyan were booked under Section 17 (punishment for abetment) of Pocso Act.
They were remanded in judicial custody.
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