17-Year-Old Arrested for Sexually Assaulting and Killing 4th-Grade Boy in Pudukottai

A shocking incident has emerged from Pudukottai district, where a 17-year-old boy sexually assaulted and murdered a fourth-grade student, sending waves of outrage across the region.

The victim, a 9-year-old boy and the son of an agricultural laborer from Karukkaakurichi Tirumurugapattanam near Vadakadu in Pudukottai district, was a student at a government school. On the evening two days ago, he was playing with children in the area but did not return home by nightfall. His family searched for him across multiple locations and eventually found his body lying in a dry pond with injuries to his neck and face.

Vadakadu police rushed to the scene, recovered the body, and sent it for post-mortem examination to a government medical college hospital. A case of suspicious death was registered and an investigation launched.

During the investigation, it emerged that a 17-year-old boy had taken the child away shortly before he went missing. Police detained the teenager for questioning. During interrogation, the juvenile confessed that he had attempted to sexually assault the deceased child, and when the boy resisted, he strangled him to death using a piece of cloth.

Following the confession, police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and formally arrested the 17-year-old juvenile.