Sexual assault: Minor files plaint, slashed with blade

Chennai: A teenage girl was attacked with a blade by two men near Washermenpet on Thursday night because her compaint of sexual assault led to their 35-year-old brother's arrest. The girl, a relative of the attackers, sustained injuries to her cheek and hand and is being treated at Govt Stanley Hospital. Her condition is stable.

Police said the attack occurred around 10pm on Thursday when the 16-year-old girl was walking near her home. The men stopped her, and one of them allegedly attacked her with a blade. Passersby came to her aid and took her to the hospital, police said.

RK Nagar police, who detained one of the suspects, said the motive for the attack stemmed from a sexual harassment complaint the girl filed on April 15 with the Washermenpet All Women Police. The investigation into the sexual harassment case revealed that the minor girl's 35-year-old cousin allegedly held her against her will in his home and sexually harassed her between Oct 2024 and March 2025.

Police sources said the man did not have a child of his own, so he decided to have a child with her. The girl's parents reportedly did not file a police complaint at the time. Later, she reported the attack to Washermenpet All Women Police. That complaint led to the arrest of the man under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Enraged by this, his two brothers decided to confront her. On Thursday night, when they saw her walking alone, they attacked her. While the man who slashed her with the blade is absconding, his brother has been detained by RK Nagar police. Further investigation is underway.