VIRUDHUNAGAR: Five men from Rengapalayam were arrested on Sunday for allegedly sexually assaulting three children -- two girls aged six and eight and a boy of eight -- repeatedly over the past two months. The suspects are close relatives of the children.
The boy's parents came to know of the assault after he started complaining of pain in his anus. They also noticed a marked change in his demeanour, prompting them to take him to a doctor, who, upon examining him, found that he had been sexually assaulted.
Soon the boy's parents learnt of similar behavioural changes in the two girls, children of their relatives living close by. A medical examination of the girls revealed that they too had been sexually assaulted. Following this, the boy's mother lodged a complaint at the Srivilliputhur All-Women Police Station. An investigation was launched and the needle of suspicion fell on the five men, all over 45 years of age.
According to sources, the suspects knew among themselves what each of them was doing; the six-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted by three of them on separate incidents. The children, studying in the same school, had been given chocolates and 'money' so they did not disclose anything to their parents. In one incident, the boy was sexually assaulted in thickets near his house, sources added.
Subsequent to the investigation, a case was registered against the five persons under POCSO Act sections 3(d) (read with 4) 5(i)(l)(m)(g) (read with 6), and IPC Section 506(1). They were later arrested. The police said the children have undergone a medical examination.