6 men booked under POCSO Act for sexually abusing 5 minor girls in Puducherry

PUDUCHERRY: Six men have been booked under the POCSO Act for allegedly sexually abusing five minor girls in their farm, police said here on Tuesday The children were sold to a man last month by their parents and kept as bonded labourers in their farm, where they were sexually abused, Senior Superintendent of Police Pritikhsha Godara told reporters.

Acting on information, the Child Welfare Committee of Puducherry first rescued two of them last month and the others some time later, she said.

All the children were first taken to the child care centre 'Udhavum Karangal' here and were later admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government Child Hospital for medical examination and treatment.

Godara quoted the children as having told police that six men sexually abused them and forced them to work as bonded labourers.

She said the men were sent to the government hospital after their arrest for COVID-19 tests.

One of them tested negative, following which his confession statement was recorded and he was arrested on Monday.

The man also identified the places in the farm where the sexual assaults took place, Godara said.