Kerala, January 12: In a bizarre incident, a Dalit teen athlete in Kerala has been sexually exploited by at least 60 persons including her coach and classmates.
The Kerala Police have so far arrested 20 persons, including a juvenile in this connection acting on as many as 9 POCSO cases registered in two police stations, on the complaints of the victim.
Based on the statements of the survivor, who was allegedly subjected to repeated sexual abuse from the age of 13, the Elavumthitta police had on Friday arrested five persons. On Saturday, the Pathanamthitta police arrested 15 more persons, including a 17-year-old boy.
A special investigation team, headed by Pathanamthitta Dy. SP S Nandakumar, has been constituted, and police are questioning the accused - who include her father’s friends - in detail.
The case came to light when the victim had revealed the ordeal to Child Welfare Committee (CWC) members who subsequently informed the police.
According to the police, when the girl was 13, Subin, the son of her father’s friend, 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 rubber plantation 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 probe revealed that the visuals were shared among Subin’s friends, who also sexually abused her. Subin was arrested on Friday.
Around 40 individuals were identified by the police after verifying phone records and information from a note in her possession.
On being informed the National Women’s Commission sought report from police on the action taken yet. The Commission for Women has instructed the state police to file a report within three days in connection with the incident.
On the instructions of the CWC, Pathanamthitta Women’s Police Sub Inspector Shemimol recorded the child’s detailed statement in the presence of her mother.
As of now, the victim is currently undergoing counselling sessions by CWC psychologists staying in a shelter home.
Further investigation is underway. All the accused persons according to the survivor’s complaint will be nabbed soon said District Police Chief V G Vinod Kumar.
