POCSO Crime Log: January 2017

The POCSO Crime Log is a monthly chronological listing that tracks POCSO Cases reported in reliable media sources.

10 cases came to our notice in the month of January 2017.

Priest Held for Sexually Abusing Minor Boy
Date: 02 January, 2017
Location: Kunnathunad, Kerala
Case Registered Under: Section 377, various sections of POCSO

The perpetrator, 65 year old Priest Fr. Basil Kuriakose was a principal of an international school run by a charitable trust. He was arrested for molesting and attempting to sodomize the victim, an 11 year old male child who was a student in his school. The boy disclosed of the abuse to his elder brother. The accused has denied the allegations.

Man held for Sexual Abuse of Children
Date: 07 January 2017
Location: Muvattupuzha, Kerala
Case Registered Under: POCSO

Syed Muhammad, a 57 year old man was accused of sexually harassing a 6 year old boy and 4 year old girl, siblings, who lived in his neighborhood. The child victims disclosed to their parents that the accused would lure them to his house, exhibit his genitalia to them and force them to touch it. The accused was sent to 14 days judicial custody.

Meghalaya’s Militant-Turned-Neta Arrested for Raping Minor
Date: 07 January 2017
Location: Rilbong, Meghalaya
Case Registered Under: 36 (A) IPC, POCSO, Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA)

A non-bailable warrant has been issued against independent MLA Julius Dorphang in a case where a young girl was sexually exploited and abused in a guest house owned by Meghalaya Home Minister, HDR Lyngdoh. The minor stated that she was being exploited for over an year. Other than Julius Dorphang, 8 people have been named in the FIR. Of which, five have been arrested.

Minor Sexually Abused, Impregnated At Pimpri
Date: 13 January 2017
Location: Pimpri, Maharashtra
Case Registered Under: 376 IPC, various sections of POCSO

The accused, 45 year old Anand Hari Pawar was a tenant in house of 13 year old victim girl’s grandmother. The abuse continued for over 9 months during which time the girl became pregnant. The accused silenced the girl by promising to buy her a house and giving her a comfortable life. The victim has delivered the child. The accused has confessed to sexually abusing her.

Minor Goes To Cops Against Dad’s Sexual Abuse
Date: 14 January, 2017
Location: Pune, Maharashtra
Case Registered Under: 376 IPC, Various sections under POCSO (including possibly Mandatory Reporting)

A 12 year old girl was sexually abused by her father for several years. The accused threatened the girl with dire consequences if she ever broke her silence. Her pregnancy came to light when her school authorities sent the victim child for a health check-up. On being informed, her family immediately disowned her. This prompted the girl to disclose to a friend’s family who then helped her lodge a complaint. The police have also charged the step-mother under the Mandatory Reporting provisions under POCSO for having knowledge of the abuse but failing to report it.

Delhi Tailor Says He Sexually Abused Over 500 Kids
Date: 16 January, 2017
Location: Delhi NCR
Case Registered Under: Various Sections Under POCSO

Sunil Rastogi, a 38 year old was arrested by attempting to molest 2 minor girl confessed to having abused over 500 girls in the past 12 years. The Police have appointed a special investigations team to look for other victisma nd cases connected to Rastogi.

Teacher made Girls Bathe in front of Him, Abused Them
Date: 16 January, 2017
Location: Shirur, Maharashtra
Case Registered Under: Various Sections Under POCSO, Sexual Harassment Act

A male teacher in a government-aided residential school was booked and arrested for sexually abusing girl children in the school and forcing them to bathe naked in the open. A class 7 student disclosed of the incidents by writing to local advocacy group who lodged a complaint with the Police. There were 36 girl students at the school and not a single female teacher or warden among the 8 teacher.

Four year old Raped in NSG Campus, Manesar
Date: 16 January 2017
Location: Manesar, Gurugram
Case Registered Under: POCSO

A 4 year old girl was subjected to penetrative sexual assault inside of campus of India’s elite special forces unit – The National Security Guard (NSG). The family of the victim came to know of the incident when they took her to a hospital on finding injury marks on her private parts. The perpetrator is yet to be identified.

American National Arrested in Hyderabad for Uploading Child Abuse Material
Date: 17 January 2017
Location: Hyderabad, Telangana
Case Registered Under: Section 67A & B of the IT Act

James Kirk Jones, an American national working for an MNC in Hyderabad for downloading and uploading Child Sexual Abuse Material to the file sharing site GigaTribe. He was tracked down following an investigation conducted by the CID based on an Interpol tip about a IP address sharing CSAM. Also recovered was a laptop containing 29,288 items of CSAM, 490 GigaTribe profiles and 24 Twitter profiles from which he allegedly shared such materials.

Man Held for Sexual Abuse of Minors
Date: 19 January 2017
Location: Haripad, Kerala
Case Registered Under: Various Sections of POCSO

Salimkumar, 51 year old man was arrested for abusing 2 minor girls. He owned a shop near where the girls would board the school bus and groomed them over a period of time by offering them chocolates. The incident came to light after one of the girls disclosed the matter to her parents. The accused has been remanded to judicial custody.

Police Arrests Man For Sexually Abusing Minor Girls
Date: 19 January 2017
Location: Puducherry
Case Registered Under: NK

The local CWC conducted an awareness drive in a local school wherein two girls disclosed of a shopkeeper sexually abusing them. The CWC chairperson conducted an inquiry and filed a complaint with the local Police. The 56 year old perpetrator was arrested.

Other Relevant Cases:-

Sexual Abuse Case: Kerala High Court Rejects Lawyer’s Plea
Date: 20 January 2017
Location: Kochi, Kerala

The high court declined to interfere with the probe launched against a lawyer for revealing the name and details of a minor girl who was victim of sexual abuse through Facebook. The lawyer contended that the information was published without any mala fide intention, and that it was aimed at the culprit. However the court held that intention did not matter as per the relevant law.

Protection Officer demands Bribe for Victim’s Compensation
Date: 22 January 2017
Location: Thane, Mumbai

Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Mr. Prakash Gude, aged 34, a protection officer with the Women and Child Welfare Department for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe from the father of a child sexual abuse victim in exchange for releasing the compensation sanctioned to her by the government. He was arrested at his office in Bhiwandi on Saturday morning after he accepted Rs. 8,000 from the complainant. He has been charged with demanding and accepting illegal gratification in exchange for discharging his duty, under the Prevention of Corruption Act.