CHIKKAMAGALURU: A 16-year-old girl from Chikkamagaluru was allegedly forced into prostitution by her own father and grandmother, leading to her gang rape in Mangaluru.
The incident came to light after Birur police arrested four individuals in connection with the case, registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The minor, a pre-university dropout, had been living with her father and grandmother in Nagavangala village after her mother died from a chronic illness.
According to police, the victim’s grandmother had longstanding ties with a broker named Bharath Shetty, against whom multiple complaints of illegal prostitution were previously lodged in Moodubidri and Karkala police stations. Reportedly motivated by monetary gain, the grandmother and father took the girl to Moodbidri on December 20 and confined her in a house belonging to one Shekar Shetty.
There, she was allegedly gang-raped by multiple persons over two days, despite being on her menstrual cycle, and coerced into the flesh trade.In her police complaint, the girl stated that her father did not intervene but instead instructed her to obey Shetty’s orders. She was only released after threatening to end her life, following which Shetty dropped her and her father near their village. They returned to Chikkamagaluru on December 26.
The girl disclosed the ordeal to her aunt on December 28, and a formal complaint was filed the next day. Birur police subsequently registered the case and arrested four accused, including Bharath Shetty. Chikkamagaluru SP Jitendra Kumar Dayama confirmed the arrests and stated that the investigation is ongoing. The survivor has been moved to a children’s home for safety and support.