Petty shop owner abuses, films minor girls; mothers of 2 victims also held

While police initially thought they might have been downloaded from the internet, closer examination confirmed that the man in some of the videos is Perumal himself and the victims were minors

CHENNAI: Raiding a petty shop in TP Chathiram for banned tobacco products led to the arrest of its owner under the Pocso Act since several obscene videos of him abusing minor girls were found on his phone.

Apart from the accused, Perumal (48), two women aged 30 and 28 have also been arrested under Pocso Act since they forced their daughters to be abused.

TP Chathiram police on Saturday raided a petty shop in their jurisdiction to check if banned gutkha products are sold there. While a few sachets of gutkha were seized, shopkeeper Perumal’s phone was seized to check if he had any contact numbers of gutkha sellers, but police were shocked to see obscene videos instead.

Though police initially thought that they might have been downloaded from the internet, closer examination confirmed that the man in some of the videos is Perumal himself and the victims were minors.

Shocked police took him to the station where Deputy Commissioner Karthikeyan and Assistant Commissioner Ramesh interrogated him. Based on his confession, two women from the neighbourhood, who are siblings, were secured since the victims on the video clips are their daughters.

“The two women are married. The elder one developed an illicit affair with Perumal while visiting the shop to buy daily needs, followed by her sister. Perumal claims the girls were sent by their mothers to please him instead of paying for the items and he recorded the act to watch later. The abuse has happened at the place of one of the two women and in their presence,” said an official.

Apart from the two daughters of the women accused, there were videos of one more minor girl and she too was rescued and sent to the home for rehabilitation.

A complaint was received from the child welfare committee and a case under Pocso Act was registered by Kilpauk all-women police. All three were remanded in judicial custody on Saturday. Perumal was sent to Chengalpattu sub-jail and the two women to women’s prison in Puzhal.

Since there is a third minor girl involved, police are investigating whether the women duo had been running a flesh trade with minor girls.