Puducherry police are searching in Chennai for a photographer identified as Thiagu, who has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act over the alleged sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl at a hotel in Puducherry in August, according to a report by DT Next.
The case came to light last month after the Child Welfare Committee received information about the alleged abuse. CWC members and volunteers subsequently visited the locality and spoke to the girl, police said.
A complaint was filed with the Royapuram All-Women Police in Chennai, which registered a zero FIR because the alleged offence took place in Puducherry. The case was later transferred to Puducherry police for further investigation. A zero FIR allows a police station to register a complaint even when the alleged crime falls outside its territorial jurisdiction, before transferring the matter to the appropriate police unit.
Puducherry police personnel arrived in Chennai on Friday to trace Thiagu and question him as part of the investigation. Their search in the Royapuram area was unsuccessful because he was reportedly absconding, the report said. Police have not indicated in the supplied report whether he has been detained or arrested.
According to the complaint, Thiagu had known the girl’s mother for 14 years. The mother had reportedly agreed to marry her daughter to him after the girl turned 18. Police said the girl had discontinued her education after Class 9.
The complaint alleges that the girl, her mother and Thiagu travelled to Puducherry on August 28 for a modelling photoshoot. They stayed at a hotel near Muthialpet, according to the account recorded by the police. It further alleges that Thiagu sexually assaulted the girl on August 30 while her mother was outside the hotel room.
The report identified Thiagu as someone said to be associated with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, or TVK. The allegation remains subject to investigation, and the supplied report does not include a response from Thiagu or his representatives. The Puducherry police investigation is continuing.
