Minor dalit girl in Kerala braves repeated gang rape to give her 10th board exams

A minor dalit girl was repeatedly gang raped, abused and blackmailed by a group of persons in Attingal, rural Thiruvananthapuram, for over two months.

According to Onmanorama, despite the two-month persecution the brave girl showed fortitude to appear for her 10th standard board examination.

However, senior police officials in Attingal remained tight-lipped about the matter when questioned.

“This is a very sensitive case. I will not speak on it without referring to the confirmed facts,” said deputy superintendent of police in Attingal R Chandrasekharan Pillai.

Allegedly the rapists, of whom seven were arrested on Monday, blackmailed the victim repeatedly and abused her with the footage of the rape. 

The police suspects the involvement of several more people in the case. They continue to hunt for the suspects including one main accused—the exact number of persons involved will be revealed after the arrests are made. 

“We are looking out to arrest more people in this case. Further arrests will bring the actual offenders to light,” Chandrasekharan Pillai told Folomojo. 

Presently Anoop Sha aka Kukku, Shaheed aka Kannan, Shamnad aka Ittu, Salman, Shahnas aka Anthru, Surat and Al-Ameen aka Kuttu were remanded by a court on Monday.

The arrested persons are between the ages 19 to 32.

How did the heinous act come to light?

The alleged rapists were acquainted with the girl through her ‘brother’. Reportedly, they contacted the girl two months before to inform her of her brother’s drunken state at a bar in Attingal and requested her to take him back home.

Once the girl reached the bar, they took her to a secluded place and allegedly raped her. The act was filmed and was then later used to blackmail the victim to acquiesce repeated rape and abuse. The group, according to reports, threatened to release the footage on social media platforms if she intimated anybody about the rape.

In the weeks that followed, the girl was allegedly presented to several people by the initial handlers who continued to threaten her with the footage. On 30 March, the alleged abusers asked the girl to reach Paripally in Thiruvananthapuram. In Paripally, when she refused to go with the gang which came in a auto-rickshaw, the gang members attacked her in public. The locals immediately informed the police about the incident. 

The brutal two-month persecution of the girl came to light when the said gang was caught and interrogated by the Paripally police.

The girl in a statement to police, narrated that the accused miscreants used to tie her up, beat and force her to consume liquor.

The girl lives with her intellectually disabled mother and cousin brother.

Also read:

Man in Mandya kills daughter for eloping with a dalit boy

Mob in Chittorgarh thrashes three dalit children accused of theft