In Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvallur district, a 54-year-old pastor, Victor Kamaraj, was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting over ten minor schoolgirls. The alleged crimes took place under the guise of a home-based church in Sengunram, where Kamaraj exploited his position of trust to perpetrate the abuse. The arrest, made under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, marks yet another disturbing incident in a region grappling with a surge in sexual assault cases.
According to police reports, Kamaraj ran a church from his residence, which also served as a front for a tuition program operated by his wife, an employee at a local Anganwadi centre. The evening classes, intended to provide educational support to schoolgirls, became the setting for the alleged assaults.
Under the pretext of helping his wife, Victor would take the girls to another room and sexually assault them, the police said. On Wednesday (July 30,2025), one of the girls told her parents about this, and they lodged a police complaint.
A breakthrough in the investigation occurred when authorities examined Kamaraj’s mobile phone, which reportedly contained incriminating evidence confirming the sexual harassment of the students. Acting on this discovery, the police apprehended Kamaraj and charged him under the POCSO Act, a stringent law designed to protect minors from sexual offenses. Following his arrest, Kamaraj was produced before a local court and has been remanded to Puzhal jail, where he awaits further legal proceedings.
This case adds to a growing list of sexual assault incidents in Thiruvallur, raising alarm among residents and authorities alike. Just weeks prior, an Assamese youth was arrested in a neighbouring village for the kidnapping and sexual assault of a young girl, highlighting a troubling pattern of crimes targeting minors in the region.
In a related and equally harrowing incident, a 17-year-old girl narrowly escaped an attempted rape in the Kanakamma Chathiram area, where construction work for the Chennai-Tirupathi National Highway is ongoing. The teenager was reportedly abducted by a young man believed to be a worker on the highway project. Her cries for help alerted nearby villagers, who intervened courageously, chasing down the assailant as he attempted to flee. The suspect was apprehended by the community and handed over to the police for further investigation.
The string of incidents has sparked outrage among locals, who are calling for stricter enforcement of safety measures and increased vigilance to protect vulnerable populations, particularly minors. Authorities have assured the public that investigations into Kamaraj’s case and related incidents are being conducted thoroughly, with a focus on delivering justice to the victims.
As the Thiruvallur reels from these events, questions are being raised about the mechanisms in place to prevent such abuses, especially in settings like tuition centres and religious establishments that are often seen as safe spaces.
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