VILLUPURAM: The Tindivanam all women police station (AWPS) personnel on Friday evening

eight men – all closely related – for sexually assaulting two siblings, aged 9 and 7, for the past two years at a village near Brammadesam in the district.

A senior police officer investigating the case said the

were left in the care of their maternal grandmother at her hometown where the

was perpetrated.

According to the victims, their parents got separated due to marital dispute three years back. Their mother, while working at a private firm in Puducherry, married her co-worker two years ago.

“As our mother shifted to Puducherry after marrying her co-worker, we were left in the care of our maternal grandmother. Using this opportunity, 10 paternal cousins of my mother, aged between 22 and 37, sexually assaulted us for the past two years after luring us with chocolates and biscuits and taking us to secluded spots,” the girls told the police.

In June, the girls’ mother came to know about the continuous sexual abuse faced by her daughters, and reprimanded her close

for taking advantage of them. She then took her daughters to Puducherry and were keeping them with her after enrolling them at a school in Kathirkamam.

Despite the relocation, the girls were found deeply distressed as they could not come to terms with their trauma. On July 11, some teachers, who spoke to the girls, were shocked to hear their story and alerted Puducherry-based child helpline “Udhavumkarangal” and handed them over to the organization.

The girls were hospitalized at Jipmer and underwent medical examination. The NGO, with the help of Villupuram Child Welfare Committee, launched a probe with their mother and relatives.

Based on a report by the committee to Villupuram District Police Office, the Tindivanam all women police station (AWPS) personnel registered a case against 10 accused persons and arrested eight with the help of the Brammadesam police on Friday. The arrested persons were identified as Ravikumar, 24, Tamilarasan, 24, Prasanth, 22, Prabhakaran, 23, Magesh, 30, Ramesh, 37, Dheenadhayalan, 24, and Arun – all from Thennerkunnam village.

Speaking to TOI, G Viji, inspector of Tindivanam AWPS, said, “The arrested persons have been booked under multiple sections of Pocso and IPC and would be sent to judicial custody. A search is on to nab two more accused. The victims, who were hospitalized at Jipmer, would be shifted to a children’s home in Villupuram for detailed inquiry. An investigation is on with their mother and other relatives.”