Chennai: Babysitter held for molestation

Chennai: A babysitter accused of molesting a one-and-half-year-old girl was attacked by the girl’s family and handed over at the Tambaram All Women police station, on Tuesday morning.

The accused was identified as Ramesh (19) of Kannadapalayam near Chengalpet. The incident happened on Sunday and the accused was on the run since then, but was caught by the girl’s family on Tuesday.

According to police, the infant daughter of a couple who worked as daily wagers, was left in her grandmother’s custody when the couple were at work. On Sunday morning, the old woman had work in Chengalpet and after the couple left for work, the accused, Ramesh, was asked to babysit.

Around 1 pm, when the mother came home, she found the baby crying. When asked about it, Ramesh did not reply and fled from the spot. The child did not stop crying and she seemed exhausted. On Monday, the mother took her child to the Chromepet government hospital, The doctor who examined the child told the mother that the child had been repeatedly raped. The girl was shifted to Egmore Children’s hospital and is under treatment.

A police complaint was lodged by the family and a search launched for Ramesh. Meanwhile, on Tuesday morning, the girl’s father found Ramesh and assaulted him. He was later handed over to police.

The Tambaram all-women police booked the accused under the Pocso Act and remanded him in judicial custody.