70-Year-Old Man Arrested For Raping, Impregnating Teen Granddaughter Living Under His Care

A 70-year-old man has been arrested for raping his teen granddaughter who was living under his care.

Police nabbed P. Pannerselvam from the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu Saturday for raping and impregnating his granddaughter.

The incident came to light when the 18-year-old victim, whose identity was not revealed, was taken to the hospital by her mother after complaining about abdominal pain, local news outlet New Indian Express reported.

Medical examination revealed that the teen girl was pregnant.

The victim then disclosed to her mother that she had been raped by Pannerselvam, her maternal grandfather. The victim, along with her mother and her sister, was reportedly living with the suspect because their father died a few years ago.

The alleged incident happened a few months ago when the victim was left alone in the house with the suspect as the teen's mother went out for work. The septuagenarian reportedly intimidated the victim and repeatedly raped her. The man also said that he was the only one taking care of her and her family, a report from The Hindu said.

The victim told authorities that Pannerselvam had also threatened to kill her and her sister if she happened to reveal the incident to anyone.

Police took Pannerselvam to judicial custody Saturday.

In a similar incident last month, a 6-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her grandfather and uncle in front of her toddler brother in the Northern Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The suspects reportedly bribed the child with snacks and 30 cents to keep her silent about the assault. The victim was initially scared to reveal the assault but later disclosed to her mother that had been raped by her 48-year-old grandfather and 20-year-old uncle. The girl's uncle, along with her maternal grandfather, reportedly lured her to a relative's house, promising to give her some snacks, then confined her to a room where the abuse eventually took place. The police arrested the suspects on charges of rape and sexual offence against minor.