Bengaluru: Karnataka Police rescued eight minors from an illegal-ashram in Bengaluru's Kengeri area. A case has been lodged against the accused of sexual harassment under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act based on a complaint by a 17-year-old girl.
also read: Hyderabad Woman attempted to suicide with her 3 sons
The matter came to light when a girl, was rescued by Child Welfare Committee's (CWC) Chamaraj Nagar unit from the Chamaraj Nagar railway station. Following her rescue, CWC members alerted city police who brought the girl back to Bengaluru and lodged a case against the ashram owner.
A police officer said that in a preliminary inquiry revealed that the minor girl was sexually abused by the ashram owner. Other children staying at the ashram have not complained of sexual harassment yet, added the officer. Deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Ravi D Channavar said that the case has been assigned to ACP Kengeri Gate sub-division. The investigation is still in progress and we have arrested the accused, added the DCP.
According to the reports, the ashram owner is an engineering graduate and the ashram has been running since 2015. He is a popular magician in this area. The accused completed his engineering from a private college in Mandya. Records have asserted that he did not have the required permission to run the ashram. He is believed to have sheltered several children even before he started the ashram. He gathered a few orphan children and moved them to the ashram in Kengeri.
