Kundapur: Man in drunken stupor attempts to rape orphan girl

Silvester D’Souza
Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (EP)

Kundapur, Nov 5: A man here allegedly attempted to rape an orphan child while in a state of drunken stupor. The incident came to light on on Monday, November 4. 

The suspect is identified as Ponnuraj, from Tamil Nadu by origin. Ponnuraj has been working as a cobbler in Basrur for the last ten years. He is married and has two children.

The child was brought up by Ponnuraj and his family. The locals who expressed anguish at the incident took the child to a self-help group, which has offered her a temporary shelter.

Ponnuraj's mother had adopted a child when in Shimoga and the child continued to live with them. When Ponnuraj’s mother died, the child grew up in with Ponnuraj and his wife.

The child which had studied till third standard, discontinued her studies and used to go to a cashew factory to work along with Ponnuraj's wife.

Ponnuraj was addicted to alcohol and used to remain intoxicated at night. Ponnuraj used to allegedly make his wife drink too and sexually harass the child, it is said. The wife, who came to know about it, had retaliated. Angry local women, who learnt about the attempted rape, took the child to the women’s self help group. Ponnuraj has absconded, it is learnt.