Puducherry: Brutally Assaulted, 9-Year-Old Girl's Body Found In Drain

The body of a nine-year-old girl, who had been missing for three days, was found in a drain near her residence in Puducherry's Solai Nagar on March 5. Police said that the class 5 student was sexually assaulted before the murder. Two accused, 56-year-old Vivekanandan and 19-year-old Karunas, were arrested on March 6, following protests demanding justice for the girl's family. Chief Minister N Rangasamy met her parents and announced a solatium of ₹20 lakh, while Lieutenant Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan promised to set up a fast-track court to dispense justice expeditiously.

Police said that the girl had gone missing on March 2 and her body was found in the drain three days later, with her hands and legs tied up. Two persons have been arrested while an investigation is on to find out if more people were involved in the crime, Home Minister A Namassivayam told reporters at a press meet.

Accused Were Drug Peddlers?

Protests broke out in Puducherry after a missing Class 5 girl was found dead in a drain in Solai Nagar. Police said that the girl's hands and legs were tied up when she was found and added that she was sexually assaulted before the murder. Two accused, Vivekanandan and Karunas, have been arrested for charges under under IPC, Pocso and SC/ST Acts. 

The Puducherry government has announced 20 lakh rupees for the girl's family, while investigations are on for more leads in the case.  A special investigation team under Senior Superintendent of Police R Kalaivanan with SP (East) Lakshmi Soujanya, inspector Ganesh, and sub-inspector Sivapragasam has been constituted to probe the case. The team will operate under the supervision of DIG Brijendra Kumar Yadav.

A post-mortem report is awaited, Home Minister A Namassivayam said. Meanwhile, reports about the accused being drug peddlers started doing the rounds, triggering political outrage among the ruling government and the Opposition. Namassivayam said though these claims have not been confirmed, stringent action would be taken to end the drug menace in the territory. 

Lieutenant Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan visited the house of the girl to pay her last respects. Speaking to reporters, she said that a fast-track court to dispense justice expeditiously. She also addressed the drug trafficking concerns in the Union Territory. “In Tamil Nadu, some drug addicts have been arrested. There are reports that some of their associates are in Puducherry. They too will be arrested soon,” she said.