TN youth arrested for sexually harassing minor girl; his mother held for threatening victim’s mom

MADURAI: Police on Tuesday arrested a 24-year-old youth for molesting a minor girl near Melur in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu. The youth’s mother was also arrested since she threatened the mother of the girl with dire consequences when she confronted him.
The accused has been identified as A Sathiyaraj of Boothamangalam near Melur and his mother A Selvam.
The youth was in an unrequited love with the Class XII girl for the last few months.
Last week, the girl was going to her grandmother’s house. Sathiyaraj intercepted her in an agricultural land. He compelled her to fall in love with him. As she rejected his demand, the youth held her and touched her private parts.
When the girl raised an alarm, the youth tried to strangle her. Hearing the girl’s cries, her mother and fellow villagers rushed to the spot. The youth ran away on seeing them.
Later, the girl’s mother went to the accused’s house and questioned his action. But the accused’s mother, instead of warning her son, scolded the victim and the woman for what had happened. She threatened her with dire consequences.
The son-mother duo have been booked under various sections of the IPC and Pocso Act and remanded in judicial custody.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault.)