Minor girl dies by suicide in Surathkal; FIR filed under POCSO Act

MANGALURU: A 17-year-old girl allegedly died by suicide in Surathkal, Dakshina Kannada district, following which police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, rape, and abetment to suicide against a man identified as Aneesh Poojary.

According to Mangaluru police commissioner Sudhir Reddy, the girl was found hanging at her residence around 4 pm on June 23. Officials said she had left behind a suicide note addressed to her parents. The girl’s parents approached the police around 11 pm on the same day and lodged a complaint, alleging that their daughter was pregnant and had died by suicide.

Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered at around 1 am, police said the accused is associated with a religious organisation. The accused has been booked under relevant provisions of the POCSO Act, rape, and abetment to suicide.

Police said doctors have informed them that confirmation regarding pregnancy would be possible only after the postmortem examination. They have also sought preservation of the foetus, if present, for DNA examination.

The postmortem examination was completed around 6 pm on Wednesday. “A team has been deputed to trace and secure the accused. Further investigation is under way”, police said. (ANI)