#Chennai: Two children sexually assaulted, killed, dumped in two separate incidents

Chennai, Feb 20: Amidst political chaos in Chennai for the past few weeks, law and order has taken a hit in the city. Two incidents of children being murdered and dumped have occurred in the past two weeks. A three-year-old girl and a seven-year-old girl were allegedly sexually assaulted and killed in two separate incidents in the past two weeks.

On Saturday, a three-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted, killed and dumped near Thiruvottiyur. Police said that the accused dumped the child’s body in a garbage yard. The girl’s body was discovered by municipal workers.
In another incident on February 12, a seven-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted and burnt to death in Moulivakkam. Reports say the body of the child was dumped in a travel bag on the highway in Chennai. The Class 3 student was allegedly kidnapped while she was playing near her apartment on the evening of February 12.

What is more shocking about both the cases is that in both the incidents, the perpetrators were neighbours of the victims. In the Thiruvottiyur case, the police said the girl’s mother was unwell and asleep while her father was away at work when a neighbour kidnapped her while she was playing with her brother on Saturday evening. According to reports, the police were questioning a neighbour who the child’s parents suspect is the offender.

In the Moulivakkam case, a man from an apartment complex in the area allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered his seven-year-old neighbour. Reports say the incident occurred when the girl was playing alone near her house while her parents were not at home. When the parents returned and found their daughter missing, they started enquiring and dialled the police, who arrested a man. Reports say that the accused has allegedly confessed to his crime.

According to a report, the accused tried raping the little girl at which she started screaming. Reports say that to stop her from screaming, the accused stuffed a piece of cloth in her mouth, suffocating her. The accused then realised that the child had turned stiff and burnt her body. He then packed it in a travel bag and dumped it along the highway.