14 arrested after Kerala teen athlete claims she was sexually abused by 62 people over 5 years

When she told them she wanted to share her ordeal, the volunteers informed the district Child Welfare Committee (CWC).

Pathanamthitta Superintendent of Police V G Vinod Kumar said the probe has been intensified.

“More cases will be registered based on the girl’s detailed statement, which is being recorded by women police in the presence of her mother. Action will continue based on her statements,’’ he said.

Apart from relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), the suspects were booked under various sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Five cases were registered in the last two days.

Advocate N Rajeev, who heads the Pathanamthitta Child Welfare Committee, said the matter came up before the committee in the second week of December. He claimed she has been facing sexual abuse from the age of 13.

“I told the girl to report before the committee along with her mother. She was given counselling, and she opened up before a psychologist, narrating the sexual abuse she has been facing since the age of 13,” he said.

He said the girl’s family was unaware of the alleged sexual abuse. “She hadn’t shared anything with her mother. Since the girl is an athlete, she has attended various sports camps over the years,” he said.

“Psychologists with the Nirbhaya scheme spoke to her to ascertain the credibility of her allegations. They also examined her father’s mobile phone, which she had access to, to find out the names of the alleged abusers. Once the probe progresses, the chances of involvement of more people cannot be ruled out,” he said, adding, “The girl has been shifted to a shelter under the CWC, considering her protection.”

Narrating the alleged chain of events, police said one of the arrested, aged 21, had sent obscene photos and text messages to the girl when she was aged 13 and also secured some nude photos. When the girl was 16, the man took her to a deserted rubber plantation and allegedly raped her, recording it on his mobile phone.

It is alleged that he and his friends gangraped her on another occasion, and the accused took her father’s phone number.

Significantly, some of the suspects are already facing various criminal charges – from POCSO cases to culpable homicide.

The mobile phones of the arrested men have been seized, said police.

“A few of the arrested are from the victim’s village. I spoke to the girl’s father, who said he never knew about the incidents,” said someone who knows the family.