{
  "id": 2133026,
  "title": "Death sentence for preacher found guilty of sexually assaulting four minor girls in Tirunelveli",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/death-sentence-for-preacher-found-guilty-of-sexually-assaulting-four",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-20T12:33:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/death-sentence-for-preacher-found-guilty-of-sexually-assaulting-four-minor-girls-in-tirunelveli/article71368043.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Tirunelveli, a preacher named S. Abraham has been sentenced to death for sexually assaulting four minor girls in 2022. The special court for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases handed down the death sentence to Abraham, who was accused of taking advantage of his position as a preacher to commit the crimes. According to the prosecution, Abraham ran a prayer hall at Mela Ilanthaikulam near Thevarkulam and lured the minors under the guise of providing moral science classes during their vacation. Once he gained their trust, he allegedly sexually assaulted them. After the victims informed their parents, they filed complaints with the Thevarkulam police, leading to Abraham's arrest on July 5, 2022. POCSO Special Court Magistrate Suresh Kumar pronounced the death sentence on Abraham on Thursday, August 20, 2026. Additionally, the court ordered the Tamil Nadu government to provide a compensation of ₹10 lakh to each victim.",
  "summary": "S. Abraham, 50, who had been running a prayer hall at Mela Ilanthaikulam, sexually assaulted the minors under the guise of taking moral science classes for them in 2022",
  "key_points": [
    "Preacher S. Abraham sentenced to death for sexual assault of four minors in 2022.",
    "Special court for POCSO Act handed down death sentence to Abraham.",
    "Compensation of ₹10 lakh ordered for each victim by Tamil Nadu government."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}