A 16-year-old girl, who is studying in Class X in a school in Kannur, Kerala, was allegedly gang-raped, filmed and threatened by about 20 men including one of her relatives for two years. Police have taken eight people into custody for the crime and are in the process of finding the others.
The minor girl was befriended by a woman named Anjana on Facebook and eventually invited to meet her at a place in Kannur in 2016. From there, she was taken to a nearby lodge where some men abused and raped her and recorded the act.
Using that video, the minor was threatened and asked to return for the second time when she was allegedly raped by three men after being tied to a cot.
The last known act was committed on November 13, 2018, when she was again blackmailed with the video and chat records. This time, after the assault, the girl’s brother was contacted by the gang who showed the video and demanded money.
After getting the details of the event from his sister, the brother took the girl to the women’s centre of the Kannur police station along with their mother to report the crime.
The case was transferred to Taliparamba police station as the alleged crime took place in their jurisdiction. The police have launched an investigation and taken eight men into custody including her relative.
The police stated that they could not however find evidence to corroborate all the details provided by the minor. Talking to Malayala Manorama, the DySP said, “The fake Facebook ID of a woman, as told by the girl, was actually used from the mobile phone of one of the accused himself. So, we do not think that there is a woman accused as a connecting link between the girl and these men. More details would be known only after further investigation.”
On Tuesday evening, the 16-year-old made a statement in front of the magistrate at Thaliparamba and a case of gang rape under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been filed.