hawkplay Kerala Teen Sexual Assault: Police Arrest 44 Accused So Far; Two Absconding

The Kerala police arrested 44 out of the 59 accused on Tuesday in the sexual abuse case of a Dalit teen athlete. A senior police officer of the district confirmed the arrests.

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, 44 have been arrested.

Kerala Teen Sexual Assault: 14 Arrested, Sent To Judicial Custody For Two Weeks; Probe Underway

“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. Besides them, 13 more have to be arrested” DIG Ajeetha Begum told reporters. 

“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 DIG said.

The police, during the investigation, found that most of the accused met the girl at a private bus stand in Pathanamthitta, from where she was then taken to various locations in vehicles and then abused her sexually.  

Ikram has a long association with the sport. The former Pakistan and China hockey coach is a member of the IOC Olympic Solidarity Commission, and has been an Executive Board member of the FIH since 2016. On 5 November 2022, he was elected as the 13th President of FIH.

The South Korean team, on the other hand, is coming off a strong yet disappointing performance against Japan, ending in a 5-5 draw. They began their Asian Champions Trophy 2024 tournament with a 2-2 draw against Pakistan on Monday.

Further investigations also revealed that last year the girl was taken by a boy, who she met through Instagram, to a rubber plantation in Ranni, where he raped her along with three others. The girl was studying in Class XII at that time.

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

The investigation into the disturbing case began when teachers at the victim’s educational institution noticed significant changes in her behaviour and alerted the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). Following her counselling, the committee notified the police, leading to the formation of a special investigation team headed by the Pathanamthitta Deputy Superintendent of Police.

The police have reported that the girl was exploited by a mix of sports trainers, fellow athletes, and classmates. Preliminary investigations indicate that multiple incidents of abuse occurred starting with her neighbour and escalating to involvement by numerous others, including friends of the initial suspect.

In light of the gravity of the allegations, the police have invoked tougher charges under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). The arrested individuals, aged between 19 and 30, are said to have criminal antecedents.

The Kerala Women's Commission (KWC) has also initiated its own inquiry, directing the Pathanamthitta Superintendent of Police to submit a report promptly. “The complaint stated that the girl, an athlete, was sexually assaulted by 64 people. She was subjected to rape since the age of 13. It was found that she was abused at school and sports training camp,” the KWC release added.

An SIT has 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 Begum said that once the Sabarimala pilgrimage season is over, more officers will be included in the SIT.

(With PTI inputs)hawkplay