Pathanamthitta: In the rape case of a Dalit athlete, a total of 58 individuals have been identified as accused, according to Pathanamthitta District Police chief V G Vinod Kumar. All the accused in the case have been identified. The crime that occurred in Pathanamthitta is described as more serious than the infamous Suryanelli rape case, with 29 cases registered across various police stations, including Pathanamthitta, Ilavumthitta, Malayalappuzha and Pandalam, he added.

With the arrest of 11 more individuals on Monday, the total number of arrests in the case has risen to 43. One of the accused is abroad, and the police have stated that efforts are being made to bring him back to the country. The arrests of the detained individuals will be formally recorded on Monday.

The police investigation revealed that the girl had also been subjected to gang rape for five times. The intervention of P Deepu, a resident of Mandiram Padi in Ranni, who was arrested on Saturday, led to the two gang rapes that had occurred a year ago. The accused had met the girl through Instagram, and they later saw each other in person at the private bus stand in Pathanamthitta. He then took her in a car along with two friends.

The rape took place in a car parked near a rubber plantation at Mandiram Padi. After the assault, the girl was handed over to two others who came in an autorickshaw.

The girl was also raped at the Pathanamthitta General Hospital, with four persons involved in that incident. On another occasion, the girl was taken to a plantation area in Prakkanam and raped near a closed shop. After the incident, the girl was dropped off near her house, according to the police.