Kannur man facing POCSO trial arrested for abusing two minor Instagram friends in TVM
A 23-year-old cable TV technician was arrested in Thiruvananthapuram for allegedly sexually abusing two 14-year-olds after befriending them on Instagram; he faces a prior trial for similar offences.
A 23-year-old cable TV technician was arrested in Thiruvananthapuram for allegedly sexually abusing two 14-year-olds after befriending them on Instagram; he faces a prior trial for similar offences.
A 23-year-old cable TV technician was arrested in Thiruvananthapuram for allegedly sexually abusing two 14-year-olds after befriending them on Instagram; he faces a prior trial for similar offences.
Kannur: A 23-year-old cable TV technician from Kannur has been arrested by Thiruvananthapuram police on charges of sexually abusing two 14-year-old girls after befriending them on Instagram. Taliparamba police said the accused was already facing trial for the alleged sexual assault of a minor girl three years ago.
In the latest cases, the accused, Anuraj (23) of Kooveri in Chapparapadavu panchayat near Taliparamba, was arrested in connection with the alleged sexual assault of two schoolgirls residing within the limits of the Pothencode police station in Thiruvananthapuram.
Anuraj, who also works as a loading worker and driver, struck up a friendship with the two girls on Instagram, said police. Later, he travelled by train from Kannur to Thiruvananthapuram, where he sexually assaulted both girls the same day, officers said.
Police said he first assaulted one of the girls when she was alone at home and later went to her friend's house the same night and assaulted her too. He is also accused of recording nude visuals of both girls. After returning to Kannur, Anuraj allegedly blocked both girls on Instagram.
The first victim later approached the police with a complaint, following which a case was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. During the investigation, police received a similar complaint from the second girl.
Police subsequently arrested Anuraj from his house in Kooveri. Investigators suspect that he had simultaneously posed as the boyfriend of both girls before allegedly exploiting them.
Taliparamba police said they arrested Anuraj in 2023 for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls using a similar modus operandi. "He was acquitted in one of the cases after the girl's family turned hostile," said an officer, adding that trial in the second case was going on.
"He first befriends minor girls through Instagram or during house visits for his work, and gradually gains their trust before meeting them in person," a police officer familiar with the earlier investigations said.