Girl, 9, rescued after years of torture by mom, friends

Madurai: A nine-year-old girl was rescued from physical abuse and torture at the hands of her mother and her friends with the help of Childline and police . The accused were identified as Murugeswari, from Kamarajar Street in Bibikulam, and her friends Sunilkumar and Shahul Hameed.

The girl, studying in Class 4 in an aided school, had burnt injury marks on her foot, scars on her head and next to her eyes and was recently treated for injuries in her private part after she was hit with a broom stick. There scar on her head was caused when a bunch of her hair was forcibly pulled out while her head was tonsured to treat the injury.

Based on a complaint from her aunt R Sundaravalli, 27, from Meenambalpuram, a case was registered with the Tallakulam police station under the IPC sections 323 (voluntary causing hurt) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and the Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Act, 2015.

According to Sundaravalli’s complaint, Murugeswari divorced her husband four years back and was now in a relationship with Sunilkumar. She has been raising the child alone while working in cosmetic shop in Vishaal de Mall. When she came to know about Murugeswari’s relationship with Sunilkumar a couple of years back, she had warned her and stopped talking to her as Murugeswari threatened her and her husband Rajaguru to keep away from their life.

On Tuesday night, unable to bear the torture any longer, the girl went to Sundaravalli’s house, located around 2km away, and narrated her ordeal. Although Murugeswari came along with Sunilkumar and his friend Shahul Hameed demanding the girl, Sundaravalli refused. Rajaguru immediately alerted Childline, which reported the matter with AWPS Tallakulam. He was directed to lodge a complaint with the law and order police station. Rajaguru said that the girl was not fed properly in the morning and was relying on lunch provided in the school under the noon meal scheme. Although, the girl was being tortured by the three for long, it increased in the last one month.