The Kanyakumari police department has booked former ADMK MLA of Nagercoil Nanjil Murugesan under the sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on the charges of raping a 15-year-old girl for more than two years. 

According to the reports, the police had arrested four others including the girl's mother for trading her daughter for her own gains and three other men for raping the girl. 

The perpetrators including the ADMK MLA have been booked under sections 3(a) - penetrative sexual assault with a sexual organ, 4 - punishment for penetrative sexual assault, 7- sexual assault by touching vital organs, 8- punishment for sexual assault, 11(3) - shows any object to a child in any form or media for pornographic purposes, 12- punishment for sexual harassment, and 17 - punishment for abetment under the POCSO Act.

According to the police department, the affected girl has been recovered and taken to the children's home. She has been highly traumatized and she has been given counseling through the child welfare committee. Five special teams were formed under the deputy superintendent of police of the crime branch to detain the former legislator, who had been at large.

Arrested four people include 66-year-old Paul, 43-year-old Ashok Kumar and these two belong to Idalakudi, 28-year-old Karthik from Kottar and the girl's mother. The official of the district child protection unit said the sexual assault came to the revelation when the girl was rescued from being eloped with a 20-year-old teenager. As the girl was minor, the kidnapping case was booked against the teenager following which the girl was produced before the magistrate. 

During the investigation, the girl revealed that she had been raped by the former MLA and few others after which the court directed the issue to the Child Welfare Committee on Monday. Based on the direction from the Welfare Committee, the district child protection officer filed a complaint against MLA Murugesan and others with the Nagercoil All Women police on Monday following which the police took the case.

According to the latest reports, former MLA Murugesan, who was absconding, was finally detained by the police in Uvari village in Tirunelveli district on Wednesday. Following the shocking developments, ADMK leaders Edappadi Palaniswami and Panneerselvam had released a joint statement on Monday in which they stated that Murugesan has been expelled from the basic membership of the party and the leaders said the former MLA had acted against the principles and objectives of the party. 

MLA Nanjil Murugesan was serving as the legislator of Nagercoil constituency in the previous assembly, from 2011 to 2016.