Mercy home owner arrested for harassing minor girls

A 50-year-old man was arrested for allegedly sexually harassing two minor girls staying at his mercy home in Tara Nagar area, police said today.
Johnson Chacko was arrested last night in Jhotwara area and has been booked under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, Station House Officer (SHO), Jhotwara, Shiv Kumar Bharadwaj said.
"Nineteen girls living in the hostel have been shifted to a government shelter home when the incident came to light last evening after the girls told their school teachers about the harassment," he said.
The school teachers complained to us about the incident following which we reached the mercy home and probed the matter, he said.

Some other girls at the hostel told us that even they were similarly harassed, he said, adding, the matter is being investigated.
The victims aged 7 to 12 years belong to poor families, police said.