Minor girl gang-raped in Kerala, four held

Kozhikode: A minor girl, belonging to the Scheduled Caste, has been allegedly raped by four people, including her friend, after giving her sedative-laced juice in Kozhikode district of Kerala, police said here on Wednesday.

The four were arrested today, the police said.

The alleged gang-rape occurred in a tourist spot on October 3, they said.

According to the police, one of the four, who is a friend and native of the 17-year-old victim, had invited her for sight-seeing and took her to the tourist spot.

Upon reaching there, he took her to a resort and gave her a glass of juice laced with sedative.

Later, he and three of his friends raped her and dropped her back near her house in Kuttiyadi.

Also, they threatened her of dire consequences if the incident was revealed to any.

Shocked and feared, the victim did not disclose the incident for about two weeks.

Then, she revealed the trauma to her family which reported to the police on Tuesday.

The arrested have been charged under the IPC Section 376 (Punishment for rape) and various sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, police said.

Opposition Congress attacked the ruling LDF over the incident by alleging that the State government has failed to ensure safety of women.

Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan described the incident as shocking and urged the government to take seriously the increasing incidents of violence against women in the State.

In a statement, Satheesan said it was the responsibility of the government to provide security for daughters and mothers and sought exemplary punishment to the culprits.