Man jailed for impregnating minor

Coimbatore: A 26-year-old man was arrested for impregnating a 14-year-old girl near Karamadi on the outskirts of the city.
A police officer said the issue came to light after Childline authorities received a complaint on child marriage on Tuesday. The Childline authorities, he said, conducted inquiry with the family members of the girl and their neighbours.
Preliminary inquiry revealed the accused, a daily wage labourer, was a relative of the girl. “They were in a relationship for the past one year and he used to visit the girl at her house frequently. The girl became pregnant three months ago,” the officer said.
When her parents came to know that their daughter was pregnant, they took her to a nearby hospital for abortion. “Doctors there, however, refused to perform abortion. So, they decided to arrange her marriage,” the officer said. Based on a complaint from Childline, the Thudiyalur all-woman police registered a case under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and arrested him. He was later remanded in judicial custody. tnn