CHENNAI: A three-year-old girl died after she was sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old guest worker at Gummidipoondi in Tiruvallur district on Monday. Police arrested the suspect, identified as Bipin Manjhi from Bihar.The incident sparked protests outside the SIPCOT police station, with residents demanding stringent action against all those involved in the crime. Some protesters alleged that more than one person may have been involved and called for a thorough investigation into the incident.According to police, the girl’s parents work at a steel company in the SIPCOT industrial estate. The suspect was employed at the same firm along with the girl’s father and lived in their neighbourhood.On Sunday night, the girl was playing with other children in a street at Pudupettai near Gummidipoondi while her parents were at home.The suspect took her to a nearby shop on the pretext of buying her snacks and assaulted her at a secluded spot around 8 pm. He abandoned the child at a bush and fled the scene. A woman found the child and raised an alarm, following which residents gathered at the spot. The suspect tried to flee but was caught by the public. The SIPCOT police, who reached the spot, arrested him. The girl was rescued and admitted to government hospital at Kottakarai before being shifted to the Stanley Government Hospital in Chennai. She succumbed to her injuries on Monday morning. Police personnel held talks with the protesters and assured them that a detailed investigation was under way. They informed residents that one suspect had been arrested and that further inquiries were being conducted to ascertain all aspects of the case.
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Residents also expressed concerns about the safety of children living in worker settlements, saying that many parents leave for work early in the morning and return only in the evening. They urged policemen to strengthen security measures in the area.(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
