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The Chennai City Police have revealed that an 84-year-old businessman allegedly sexually abused seven more minor girls apart from the original complainant.
A senior officer confirmed that all seven victims have been identified and their statements have been recorded before the Special Court for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 cases at the Madras High Court. The accused businessman was arrested on August 29. The case was registered after police received a USB drive containing a video clip allegedly showing a minor girl being assaulted at his guest house in Teynampet. POCSO Special Court Judge Padma Shanmugasundaram granted three days' custody for his interrogation. Considering his age and health, he is being questioned inside Puzhal prison from 10 am to 5 pm under video recording by the Central Crime Branch's Anti-Vice Squad till Sept 20. He was arrested along with two other alleged accused. After one survivor was found to be from a Scheduled Caste community, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has also been added. Police initially tried to close the case citing inability to identify the persons in the video, but the court rejected the closure report and ordered further probe. A special team led by ACP Rajalakshmi was formed, which established the survivor was a minor in 2019 when the offence took place. Meanwhile, Child Welfare Committee (CWC) member Sheela Jayanthi said the committee is yet to receive a police report and that since the victims are now majors, CWC intervention is not required at this stage unless they need care and protection. Further investigation is ongoing. (ANI)
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