- विज्ञापन -
Pathanamthitta: The Kerala police have apprehended 14 individuals and filed five cases related to the sexual abuse of an 18-year-old Dalit girl in Pathanamthitta district. The case emerged after the girl reported that she had been sexually exploited by as many as 62 people over the past five years.
Initially, the Ilavumthitta Police registered two cases and arrested five suspects on Friday. On January 11, the Pathanamthitta police added three more cases and promptly took nine of the 14 suspects into custody. Among those arrested are Subin (24), VK Vineeth (30), K Anandu (21), S Sandeep (30), and Sreeni, also known as S Sudhi (24), all linked to a case at the Ilavumthitta station. Achu Anand (21) is implicated in another case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
Sudhi, the fifth accused in the first case, is already incarcerated for another POCSO case filed by the Pathanamthitta police. The investigation, which falls under the Prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes Act, is being led by Deputy Superintendent of Police PS Nandakumar, with Police Inspector TK Vinod Krishnan investigating the second case.
Allegations state that when the girl was 13, Subin sent her obscene messages and images via his phone and later procured explicit content of her. When she turned 16, he allegedly took her to a remote rubber plantation and raped her, recording the act on his phone. He reportedly shared this recording with other suspects, leading to a group assault on her.
Three cases have been filed at the Pathanamthitta station, with Shamnad (20) arrested in the first case. In the second case, six suspects were arrested, including a 17-year-old. Those apprehended include Afzal (21), his brother Ashiq (20), Nidin Prasad (21), Abhinav (18), and Karthik (18). Afzal is also facing charges in two previous culpable homicide cases and is currently out on bail. Ashiq, a co-accused in one of Afzal’s cases, is also out on bail.
In another case, Sudheesh (27), known as Kannappan, and Appu (31) were arrested. Sudheesh is the third suspect in a 2022 criminal case, while Appu has two theft charges from 2014. The police are conducting medical examinations and interrogating the suspects in detail. The investigation is ongoing, and further cases may be filed based on the girl’s testimony.
