Eight children sexually assaulted, footage recorded and sold: PhD scholar sentenced to 5 life terms

Chennai: A young man who sexually assaulted children,  took obscene pictures and circulated them on the internet has been sentenced to five life imprisonment. Victor James Raja (35), a PhD scholar, was sentenced by a special POCSO court in Thanjavur. The court also ordered a fine of Rs 6.54 lakh and Rs 4 lakh each to the victims of the assault. The verdict came 14 months after the CBI completed the investigation and filed the charge sheet.

The investigation found that eight children between the ages of 5 and 18 were sexually assaulted by Victor James Raja. The footage of the assault was circulated on websites to make money. The victims included both boys and girls. It was also revealed that children were encouraged to engage in sexual relations with each other. The CBI team retrieved the child pornography videos from the International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database with the help of Interpol.

Victor James Raja was arrested on March 16, 2023, in Thanjavur. A case has been registered on grounds of sexual assault, intimidation and digital recording. Over 34 witnesses were examined as a part of this case.