Nine boys of a government higher secondary school in Vilathikulam, Thoothukudi district, have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act for allegedly sexually torturing their classmate, police said. The incident reportedly took place in a classroom on August 18. According to sources, the suspects allegedly assaulted the victim, removed his trousers, squeezed his private parts, and sprinkled chilli powder. Inquiries also revealed that the boy had been teased and humiliated on several earlier occasions.

The matter came to light after the victim's parents approached the class teacher. A formal complaint was later filed at the All-Women Police Station in Vilathikulam, leading to an FIR under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Pocso Act. The nine boys were detained and shifted to the borstal school in Tirunelveli late on Wednesday, and were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.