A three-year-old girl who went missing from her neighbourhood in Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvallur district was found in a thorny bush after being sexually assaulted and later died while undergoing treatment at a hospital. Police have arrested a 19-year-old man, identified as Vibin Manch from Bihar, in connection with the case.
According to local residents, the child disappeared while playing near her home. A neighbour claimed she had seen a migrant worker taking the girl into a room but did not suspect anything at the time as the child’s family and the man were both migrant workers living in the area.
The girl’s mother began searching for her around 6 pm after she failed to return home. During the search, the child was found in a nearby bush in a critical condition.
Residents alleged that the accused had lured the child with a packet of biscuits before taking her away. The girl was rushed to hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
“The child was inside the house, and he took her away after offering her biscuits. She was later found near a thorny bush when someone went there to answer nature’s call. We gave her water, but her condition was very serious,” a neighbour said.
Police have arrested the 19-year-old accused and launched a probe into the incident.
POLITICAL ROW ERUPTS OVER CHILD’S RAPE AND DEATH
The horrific incident has intensified concerns over a perceived rise in sexual offences against women and children in Tamil Nadu, an issue that featured prominently during the recent Assembly election campaign and has continued to dominate political discourse.
DMK MP Kanimozhi expressed shock over the death of the three-year-old, saying reports that the child had been sexually assaulted and abandoned in a bush had left her “frozen in shock”. In a post on X, she urged women to take precautions for their own safety and that of their children, while questioning the government’s handling of law and order.
The case also triggered a sharp attack from DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, who said he was shocked by the child’s death and demanded that police identify all those responsible and ensure stringent punishment. He alleged that crimes against women and children were becoming increasingly frequent under the TVK government and claimed the state’s law-and-order machinery was “on life support”.
Udhayanidhi also cited a series of recent incidents involving alleged crimes against women and accused the government of failing to take adequate steps to ensure public safety. He urged Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to convene a high-level meeting with senior police officials and issue stricter directives on crime prevention across the state.
The criticism comes days after the formal launch of “Singappenn”, a special women’s safety force announced by the Chief Minister shortly after assuming office to strengthen measures aimed at protecting women and girls.
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