Daijiworld Media Network – Sullia

Sullia, Jul 23: The Sullia police have arrested an 18-year-old youth under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for allegedly luring and sexually assaulting a minor girl who had been reported missing since May.

The arrested accused has been identified as Dhanush (18), a resident of Kadaba.

According to the police, the minor girl, a resident under the Sullia police station limits, left her home on May 7, stating that she was heading to Mangaluru for work. When she failed to return, a missing person complaint was filed by her family. Based on the complaint, a case was registered at the Sullia police station on May 11 under section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023.

During the course of the investigation, the police successfully traced the missing girl on Wednesday, July 22. In her statement to the police, the minor revealed that the accused, Dhanush, had lured her away and sexually assaulted her.

Following her statement, the police added section 64(2)(m) of the BNS, along with sections 5(l) and 6 of the POCSO Act to the existing case. The accused was arrested on July 22 and is currently being interrogated.

Further legal proceedings are under way, an official release stated.