The Special Court for the trial of cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Coimbatore, has sentenced a man from Tiruppur to undergo 20 years of imprisonment for sexually assaulting his relative aged 16 in 2023.

Special court judge T. Bagavathiammal awarded the punishment to Kalaiyarasan, 27, of Tiruppur.

According to the police, Kalaiyarasan had been working in a meat stall. He used to visit his relative’s residence near Pollachi, where he sexually assaulted the minor girl.

The sexual assault came to light in January 2023 and her mother lodged a complaint with the All Women Police Station, Pollachi. Kalaiyarasan was arrested and the police investigation revealed that he had sexually assaulted the girl on various occasions in 2022.

After the completion of the trial, the POCSO court found Kalaiyarasan guilty and sentenced him to 20 years of imprisonment on Monday. The court also imposed a fine of ₹17,000 on him.