Pocso cases: Three held for sexual abuse

Thiruvananthapuram: The police arrested three men in the city for sexually abusing minor girls in separate incidents on Wednesday night and Thursday.
In the first incident, Ujith, 30, of Thettikulam near Varkala was arrested for sexually abusing his underage niece.

Her father used to entrust his child with the suspect's home after regular fights with his wife. He used to abuse his niece, a class XI student, during her visits.

The matter came to light when the father questioned her over the lack of concentration in studies.

Varkala police arrested the man based on a complaint forwarded via Child Welfare Committee.

In the second incident, a stepfather was arrested for impregnating the minor at Neyyattinkara. The accused was identified as Mari Muthu, 39, a native of Thengapattanam, Tamilnadu. He was in a live-in relation with the victim’s mother.

The matter came to light when she reported pain in the tummy.  He was arrested by Neyyattinkara police which produced him before a court.

In the third incident, a 21-year-old abused a 17-year-old on the pretext of marriage, at Peroorkada. The suspect identified as Sujith of Ashramam Road Nettayam was arrested from Chennai, where he was hiding after the crime, Peroorkada circle inspector Suresh Babu said.

All the suspects were booked under relevant sections of  Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO).