Kerala police arrest 3 Thrissur men for abducting, raping minor

Pathanamthitta, Feb 25 (PTI) The Kerala police arrested three men on Sunday for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl after kidnapping her from this district two days ago.

The accused have been identified as Athul (21), Ajil (21), and Jayaraj, hailing from the central Kerala district of Thrissur, according to the police.

The girl, who went missing on February 23, returned to the Thiruvalla police station at 4 AM today, as per the police statement.

"The girl met Athul through Instagram. We found CCTV visuals of them boarding a bus," police said.

According to the police, Athul and Ajil reached Thiruvalla and took her to Thrissur. Police suspect that they took the girl to the house of Jayaraj.

As the news of the abduction went viral, they returned the girl this morning and left.

According to the preliminary investigation, she was sexually abused in Thrissur, the police said.

Various charges, including rape and abduction under the Indian Penal Code, provisions under the POCSO Act and the IT Act have been registered against them.

After the girl reached the police station, they traced Athul, who was returning to Thrissur, and arrested him on a KSRTC bus. PTI