In a crucial update to the case of gang-rape of a Dalit athlete that had come to the fore recently from Kerala, the police have arrested 13 more accused, now taking the total of arrested accused individuals to 57. The police stated that all the accused persons involved in the case, except two who have gone abroad, have been arrested in the case.
A Dalit athlete who is currently 18 years old, was reportedly abused by 62 individuals over the last five years in Kerala. The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) filed a complaint after she disclosed the horrible events in a counseling session, prompting the Pathanamthitta police to start these proceedings. The matter came to light when a non-governmental organization (NGO) called Mahila Samakya paid a visit to her household as part of their routine work.
The NGO brought the issue to the attention of the Pathanamthitta district’s Child Welfare Committee after the girl described the ordeal she endured since 13 years of age. Earlier, on 16th January, 44 of 59 total mentioned accused had been arrested. However, in the past few days, the police have arrested 13 more accused persons.
The individuals named in the FIR are Amal (18), Adarsh (20), Shivakumar (21), Umesh (19), Sreeju (18), Aji (19), Ashwin (21), Sajin (23) Subin (24), CK Vineeth (30), K Ananthu (21), S Sandeep (30), S Sudhi also known as Sreeni (24), and Prajith Kumar (24) in Elavumthitta. P Deepu (22), Anandu Pradeep (24), Aravind (23), Vishnu (24), Binu Joseph (39), Abhilash Kumar (19), Abhijith (19), Joji Mathew (25), Ambadi (24), Aravind (20), Kannan (21), Akku Anand (20), a minor, Nandu (25), Shamnad (20), Afsal (21), Ashiq (20), Nidhin Prasad (21), Abhinav (18), Karthik (18), Sudheesh (Kannappan) (27), Nishad (Appu) (31), Achu Anand (21), Lijo (26), and Shinu George (23) in Pathanamthitta along with Akash (19) and Akash (22) in Pandalam.
As per the police, the last accused arrested was a 25-year-old individual arrested from his home on Sunday, 19th January. DIG S. Ajeetha Begum, who is in charge of the inquiry commented on the matter and stated earlier that around 30 FIRs had been filed in the case. She revealed that the cases had been filed at four police stations under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act.
“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 authority confirmed.
Notably, the case in the gruesome assault was filed on January 10th. The girl during Mahila Samakya’s visit revealed that she had been abused threatened and blackmailed by 62 accused. She said that she was 13 when her ‘friend’ Subin began sexually abusing her. He, who was 6-7 years older than the victim, sexually assaulted her, took pictures and videos, and then used them to pressure her into doing a sexual favor to a friend.
Law enforcement stated that this acquaintance brought in two more men who also exploited the teenager. Her photos and contact details were shared with different groups of men and young boys throughout the following years, and many of them contacted her through social media including Instagram and WhatsApp.
The individuals who have been detained consist of truck drivers, fishermen, and daily wage laborers. Some of them are also married. Among the perpetrators are at least five former classmates from her educational institutions. Two of the accused were underage at the time of the offence and four of the accused are minors. Furthermore, the victim reported that several incidents involved multiple perpetrators, leading to the filing of FIRs for gang rape.
The investigation disclosed that the girl met a number of the accused at a private bus station in Pathanamthitta after which she was driven to several locations where she endured the heinous violations. According to the investigation, a young man she met on Instagram took her to a rubber farm in Ranni last year when she was in the twelfth grade, where he and three other individuals assaulted her. Authorities pointed out that the probe found she was gang-raped at least five times, including in January 2024 at the Pathanamthitta General Hospital and inside a four-wheeler.
Other offenders include peers, rival athletes, and sports coaches. More than 30 policemen, including women, make up the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is supervised by District Police Chief VG Vinod Kumar and headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police PS Nandakumar. The SIT is conducting further investigations into the case and planning to Look out Circulars for the 2 accused currently residing abroad.