THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two girls studying in class IX and X of a school at Kadampanad, Pathanamthitta, were gangraped by eight youths in an abandoned house at Azheekal near Oachira, Kollam district, on December 4 and 5 after they were trapped by one of the gang members.
Seven of them were arrested jointly by Adoor and Sooranad police on Saturday. One of the accused is absconding.
Those arrested by the Adoor police were identified as Arun, 18, Puthanpurakkal, Payikuzhi near Oachira; Shyam Raj, 22, Tharayilpurakkal, Klappana; Harilal,20, Harisree Sadanam, Karayil Thekku, Klappana; and Vishnu, 20, Udayapuram puthan veedu, Klappana. The three held by Sooranad police are Sarath alias Kannan, 20, Vavvakavu, Karunagappally; Ratheesh,30, Vallikavu; and Rajkumar, 24, Vallikavu.
According to Mr K.S. Sabu, Circle Inspector, Adoor, the two girls were raped by the men who split into two groups. Vishnu who knew the class X student lured her over phone and convinced her to come to Azheekal beach along with her younger friend. The unsuspecting girls were picked up in an autorickshaw and brought to the abandoned house at Azheekal.
The elder girl was gangraped by four men who tied her hands and legs. The second girl who pretended to be sick was locked up in another room. However, she fled the place after opening the room.
Rattled by her escape, the gang threatened the first victim claiming that they had her nude video. They released her and asked her to bring her friend studying in class IX the next day on the pretext of attending a counselling session.
Both of them were raped by the eight-member team the second day. The gang offered to pay them around Rs 2,000 and asked them to bring three more girls and their phone numbers.
The matter came to light as a girl revealed it to her friends at school and the teachers, who were alerted, informed the police.
The accused were booked under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and IPC section 375 for rape.
“No other girls fell into their trap. These girls hailed from middle class families who were unaware of the incident,” Mr Sabu told DC.
The victims, including a dalit, were being accommodated at Mahila Mandiram in Adoor after they refused to return home.
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