Pathanamthitta: An 18-year-old Dalit girl, who is an athlete, in a shocking revelation, has alleged she was sexually abused by more than 60 people over the past five years in Pathanamthitta, Kerala. She revealed the ordeal to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) members, who in turn informed the police, reports the Indian Express.
According to the police, the initial investigation indicated that there are more than 60 accused, as stated by the girl. As many as 15 persons have been held in connection with the case so far. Five persons were arrested on Friday after registering five FIRs in two police stations in the Pathanamthitta district, said the Police.
The arrested include Subin (24), S Sandeep (30), V K Vineeth (30), K Anandu (21), and Sreeni alias S Sudhi Sreeni (24), all residents of Chenneerkara in Pathanamthitta. The girl identified 40 others who abused her from the photos on the mobile phones of the arrested persons.
Nine more people were taken into custody on Saturday in the order of the places where the girl was raped. She was sexually abused at various locations, including her school, the police said.
As per the Express report, a special investigation team, headed by Pathanamthitta Dy SP S Nandakumar, has been constituted, and police are questioning the accused in detail.
As per the girl’s statement, the perpetrators used to communicate with her through her father’s mobile phone, without his knowledge.
According to the police, when the girl was 13, the son of her father’s friend named Subin, lured her by showing obscene visuals on his mobile phone. He also took the girl’s nude pictures on his phone.
When the girl was 16, Subin took her to a secluded place in their locality and assaulted her sexually. He also recorded videos of the act on his phone. This was followed by regular sexual abuse, the police said.
The investigation uncovered that Subin shared the explicit visuals with his friends, who also subjected the girl to sexual abuse.
Struggling with the emotional and academic impact of the repeated exploitation, the girl first disclosed her ordeal during a counselling session with a women’s empowerment group.
The police stated that evidence suggests the girl was victimised by various individuals, including her coaches, teammates, and classmates. “Further accused are expected to be identified as the investigation advances.”
Recognising the gravity of the case, the women’s collective reported the matter to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). Subsequently, the girl, accompanied by her mother, recounted the entire ordeal to the CWC members.
According to the police, the case, a rarest of rare among the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) cases due to the number of accused involved, will include SC/ST Act as the girl belongs to a scheduled caste community.
A case related to the incident has been filed at the Pathanamthitta police station. Authorities stated that as the investigation expands across various stations, additional suspects are likely to be identified.
Among the accused, Sudhi is currently in jail in a POCSO case registered by the Pathanamthitta police earlier.
