KOZHIKODE: The 17-year-old Scheduled Caste girl, who was gangraped in Janakikkad by four youths on October 3, has revealed that she was also raped at a relative’s house two years ago. Peruvannamuzhi police registered a new case following the survivor’s statement that she was sexually assaulted at the relative’s house near her house by two men whom she knew. This brings the number of cases to three. Police said the culprits in the new case will be arrested soon.
The news of the gangrape came to light after locals spotted the girl trying to end her life near a bridge on Kuttiyadi-Maruthonkara road on October 19 and informed the police. The police arrested Sayuj Rajeevan, 24, Shibu Kumar, 32, Rahul Raveendran, 22, and Akshay Paloli, 22, in the case. The girl revealed that she had been raped more than once when the police recorded her statement in the case.
Last week, Peruvannamuzhi police filed the second case against Rahul Raveendran, 22, who is among the four arrested persons in the first case, and Mervin Gurukkal Parambil, 22, hailing from Kuttiyadi for raping the girl again on October 16 in Chempanoda near Peruvannamuzhi. All the accused in these two cases have been remanded in judicial custody.
The girl was later shifted to a government shelter home on the decision of the Child Protection Office, Child Welfare Committee and State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. In the new development, Peruvannamuzhi police have registered a case under Pocso Act and Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against two persons.
Kozhikode Rural district police chief Srinivas A said, “The crime occurred two years ago. The girl is still under mental stress. We can reveal more details about the two men only after their arrest.”