A soothsayer was taken into custody by the Katpadi police for sexually assaulting a minor girl, when she came for a pooja to be performed by him.
He was arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The police said Venkatesan, 53, of Balaji Nagar, Katpadi, claimed to be a ‘soothsayer’ and performed poojas at houses and workplaces.
A 12-year-old girl was brought to him by her parents on Wednesday for a ‘Parihara Pooja’. Venkatesan listed a few items to be purchased and sent the parents to Vellore to fetch them. When the parents returned the girl described the sexual assault. .
On a complaint from the girl’s parents All Women Police from Katpadi conducted an inquiry and found that the girl was sexually assaulted. Based on the findings, the police arrested Venkatesan under the POCSO Act and lodged him in the Vellore Central Prison.