Kerala: 57 of 59 accused in Dalit teen’s sexual assault case arrested
A 25-year-old man was arrested from his home on January 19th morning, taking the total arrests to 57 in alleged sexual assault of a teen Dalit girl
A 25-year-old man, an accused in the alleged sexual abuse and gang rape of an 18-year-old Dalit girl in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, was arrested from his home on Sunday (January 20) morning, taking the total arrests to 57 in the case.
According to reports, Kerala Police has arrested 57 of the 59 individuals accused in the sexual abuse and gang rape of the Dalit girl. Two more accused could not be detained as they live abroad.
The victim, who was abused since the age of 13, had named 62 people in her complaint, pointed out news reports. She had narrated her tale of woe of how she allegedly blackmailed and sexually abused for the past five years since the age of 13.
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Abuse comes to light
The abuse was discovered when the girl’s teachers noticed behavioural changes in her and alerted the district child welfare committee. They learnt about the sustained abuse during counselling sessions with her.
A police case was registered at the Ilavumthitta police station on January 10. Based on the victim's statement, 30 cases have been registered so far at four police stations in the district.
The case is being handled by a special investigation team (SIT) led by woman IPS officer S Ajitha Beegam, under supervision of Pathanamthitta district police chief VG Vinodkumar.
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Assault and gang-rape
The investigation revealed that the victim was repeatedly assaulted and was gang-raped on at least five occasions, including incidents inside a car, at Pathanamthitta General Hospital, and at other locations. Last year, a youth who contacted the girl through Instagram took her inside a rubber plantation in Ranni and rapaed her along with three others.
Also read: Kerala: 15 persons held for allegedly raping Dalit minor girl
The investigation revealed that several accused individuals encountered the victim at a private bus stand in the district. She was subsequently taken to multiple locations in vehicles, where she was subjected to abuse, said the police.
The district police chief said the objective is to complete the investigation and submit the chargesheet as soon as possible.