On Sunday, the Aminjikarai police arrested six individuals, including four women, in connection with the tragic death of a 15-year-old girl at a city apartment. The incident, which came to light a day after the girl’s death, has led to charges of murder and other serious offenses.
Initially, the police had dismissed the possibility of sexual assault, but further investigation led them to invoke sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. These sections were applied because an object might have been used to assault the child as a form of punishment. Additionally, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was also brought into play due to the victim’s background. The girl’s body was discovered with burn injuries, sparking further investigation.
A senior police officer confirmed that during questioning, one of the arrested women admitted to abusing the girl, which led to the application of the Pocso Act. Authorities are still awaiting the autopsy report for further clarity on the cause of death.
The six suspects arrested include Nivetha (30), her husband Mohammad Nishath (36), their friends Lokesh (26) and Jayasakthi (24), their domestic worker Maheshwari (40), and Nishath’s sister Seema Begum (39). Following police inquiry, all suspects have been sent for judicial remand.
The victim, originally from Thanjavur, had been working at the couple’s rented apartment since December 2023 to care for their young child. Initially, a case of unnatural death was registered based on the house owner’s complaint, but this was reclassified to murder after the inquiry.
During the investigation, it was revealed that all six suspects had assaulted the girl multiple times over the past three months. The girl’s death occurred after one such assault on Thursday when she collapsed in the bathroom. After her death, the couple reportedly fled to a relative’s house. The girl had been referred to the city by Nishath’s sister from Thanjavur, seeking work in the city.