Thoothukudi, May 25:
In a swift and stern verdict, a POCSO court in Thoothukudi district on Monday sentenced a man to double death penalty in connection with the brutal sexual assault and murder of a Class 12 girl student in Vilathikulam earlier this year.
The Second Additional POCSO Court, presided over by Judge Preetha, found the accused, M. Dharma Muniswaram alias Maveeran of Ramanathapuram district, guilty on two separate counts and awarded death sentences for each charge. The court delivered the verdict within 75 days of the crime, which had triggered widespread public outrage across Tamil Nadu.
The 17-year-old victim, a government higher secondary school student, went missing on March 10 after stepping out near her home. Her body was later discovered in a scrub forest area near Vilathikulam on March 11 with visible injuries, sparking protests from her family and local residents over alleged delays in police action.
According to the prosecution, the case initially faced jurisdictional confusion between police stations, delaying the registration of a formal complaint. The incident led to sustained protests demanding justice and accountability from law enforcement authorities.
A special investigation team later cracked the case after identifying a motorcycle seen near the crime scene through a photograph taken by a local resident. The accused was arrested on March 20 after nearly ten days of investigation.
Police officials stated that the accused had a long criminal history, including involvement in multiple cases and a prior conviction in a rape-cum-murder case in 2020, from which he was reportedly out on bail at the time of the present offence.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to targeting women in isolated areas and committing the crime after the victim came across him in the forest. He later attempted to flee the scene, investigators said.
Senior police officers described the case as a “blind investigation” with no initial eyewitnesses, praising the scientific methods and extensive field inquiry that led to the breakthrough.
Following the arrest and trial, the victim’s family ended their protest and accepted the body after post-mortem procedures at the Thoothukudi Government Medical College Hospital.
The verdict has been widely viewed as a strong judicial response to crimes against women and minors, even as questions continue to be raised over the initial police response in the case.