Two minor schoolgirls staying in a government higher secondary school hostel near Salem have allegedly been sexually assaulted after being made to consume alcohol, police said. The incident has triggered shock in the Valapady area.
According to the complaint filed at the Valapady Women Police Station, the two 14-year-old students studying in Classes 8 and 9 said a hostel cleaning worker, Radhika (40) of Valapady, took them out of the hostel at night and introduced them to a man, Ragupathi (37), also from Valapady. The girls alleged that they were sexually abused.
Police said Radhika and Ragupathi were closely acquainted and that Ragupathi was frequently brought to the hostel at night. Investigators allege that alcohol was consumed and that the girls were also given alcohol, after which Ragupathi allegedly raped them.
Police further said the abuse is suspected to have continued for several months. Radhika was arrested on Tuesday, while efforts are under way to trace and arrest Ragupathi.
The case comes close on the heels of another incident reported from Kondalampatti in Salem, where four persons, including two boys, were arrested recently in connection with the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl after she was made addicted to alcohol.
