Pathanamthitta: 18-year-old alleges years of sexual abuse; POCSO case against 40 individuals

Pathanamthitta: An 18-year-old girl here on Friday has revealed that she was sexually abused since the age of 13. The Elavumthitta police have registered a case and started an investigation based on the complaint lodged by the student who alleged that she was sexually abused by 64 people in the last five years.

 Based on the victims' revelation before the Child Welfare Committee, a POCSO case has been filed against 40 people.

According to the reports, the girl is an athlete. Coaches, athletes, classmates and neighbors are among those who sexually abused the girl.

Five people have been arrested in the two cases registered so far.

According to reports, the girl was first sexually abused in 2019, when she was 13 years old. According to the initial information, she was first sexually abused by her boyfriend and later handed over to his friends. One of the accused, who is currently in prison in a separate rape case, is also among those who abused the girl.. His arrest will be recorded soon.

The girl shared her ordeal during the counseling given in the class against sexual abuse. Then she reached the CWC through the Mahila Samakhya Society. 

The initial attempt was to collect detailed information about the victim and the harassment she faced with the help of a psychologist. Then, the CWC instructed the police to file a case based on the report given by the psychologist.

As per the reports, During the period she was sexually abused, the victim did not own a phone.. However, the girl  was using her father's phone. Some of the perpetrators used to call on the phone. The names of 32 of them were found saved on the phone. The child's nude pictures were leaked during the period she was raped. 

According to the victim’s statement, some of the accused, who saw those pictures, pretended to be friends with her and raped her at a place called Chuttippara in Pathanamthitta, in public places, at school and at her home.

A special team has been formed for a detailed investigation. The Pathanamthitta District Police Chief is supervising the investigation. In the initial phase, cases were registered at Pathanamthitta and Elavumthitta stations. More cases will be registred in connection with the incident in the coming days.