Nine Held in Trichy After Girl Reports Sexual Harassment by Instagram Contacts

Overview

• The girl from Mudaliarsathram went missing in mid‑May and was found in a city park, after which she refused to return home and was placed in a registered children's shelter.
• While at the shelter she told staff she had been sexually harassed by people she had befriended on Instagram, and the District Child Protection Officer and Child Welfare Committee recorded her statement.
• A formal complaint by the DCPO led Fort All‑Women Police in Trichy to register a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
• The arrests, made on Saturday and Sunday, included two adults named A. Mohanraj (19) and M. Kishore (20) who were remanded to Trichy Central Prison and seven juveniles who were sent to the Government Observation Home in Thanjavur.
• Police are still seeking another 17‑year‑old male reported to be connected to the case and media accounts disagree on the girl's age, a factual gap that affects legal handling and the investigation's next steps.