Kerala minor girl rape: 44 arrested, hunt on for others, says police

THE special investigation team (SIT) of Kerala police probing the sensational case of alleged sexual abuse of a Dalit girl in Pathanamthitta district has arrested 44 people so far in connection with the matter, a senior police officer said on Tuesday (14).

DIG S Ajeetha Begum, who is overseeing the investigation, said that 30 FIRs have been registered in connection with the alleged sexual assault of the girl and out of the 59 accused mentioned in the cases, 44 have been arrested.

"Two of the accused are absconding. They are abroad at present. We are considering issuing Look out Circulars for them. We are also planning to issue a Red Corner notice for them through Interpol," the officer told TV channels.

Besides them, 13 more have to be arrested, she said.

"We are searching for their locations. They will be arrested soon. A foolproof and scientific investigation will be carried out by the SIT. We will not spare any of the accused. There will be no compromise. We will bring all of them before the law," the officer said.

The investigation so far has revealed that several of the accused met the girl at a private bus stand in Pathanamthitta. She was then taken to various locations in vehicles and subjected to abuse, police said.

The probe also found that the girl, while she was studying class XII last year, was taken by a youth who was acquainted with her through Instagram to a rubber plantation in Ranni, where he raped her along with three others.

Police said the investigation revealed she was gang-raped on at least five occasions, including incidents inside a car and at the Pathanamthitta General Hospital in January 2024.

The girl, who is now 18 years old, has alleged in her complaint that she was sexually abused by 62 individuals since the age of 13.

The matter came to light during counselling conducted by the Child Welfare Committee, after the victim's teachers at an educational institution informed the panel about noticeable changes in her behaviour.

The Committee, subsequently, notified the police and an investigation is on.

The SIT had been formed to conduct a comprehensive probe into the incident, with Pathanamthitta Deputy SP P S Nandakumar leading the team under the supervision of District Police Chief V G Vinod Kumar.

The team comprises over 30 police officers, including women, from various ranks and stations.

DIG Ajitha Beegam said that once the Sabarimala pilgrimage season gets over, more officers will be included in the SIT. (PTI)