Eight more men, including a close relative of the victim, were arrested in separate cases of sexual abuse of a minor girl registered in various police stations in the district. With this the number of arrested rose to 13.
The Taliparamba police had arrested five men on Wednesday on various charges, including charges of gangrape of the 16-year-old girl in a hotel room at Parassinikkadavu here earlier this month.
The 15 cases registered so far under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) included those registered at Valapattanam and Pazhayangadi police stations as well and a case registered by the Women Police Cell here following a complaint of sexual abuse of another minor girl, who was named by the survivor during the questioning by the Taliparamba police.
The Taliparamba police arrested Shyam Mohan and Sajin K. Janardhanan, both natives of Thaliyil near Taliparamba; Pazhayangadi police arrested Vysak U.E. of Vadakkanchery near Taliparamba, and Jithin T. of Mattool. They also recorded the arrest of K.V. Sandeep, who had been among those arrested by the Taliparamba police on Wednesday; Valapattanam police arrested Ashith Valsaraj, and Nikhil Mohanan of Thaliyil, who is a local Democratic Youth Federation of India leader, and M. Mridul of Kuzhichal.
The survivor was sexually abused in houses and hotel rooms in different places under these police stations. One of the arrested is the father of the victim who had sexually abused her a few years ago.
The WPC also arrested a 19-year-old youth identified as Adarsh of Karinkalkuzhi on the basis of a complaint from another minor girl who was also allegedly sexually abused. The WPC registered the case following an investigation based on a disclosure by the first survivor.
Police sources said that though preliminary investigation does not give any indication of involvement of a sex racket, the police do not completely rule out such a possibility.