Eight men and a woman were arrested in Kollam on Thursday in connection with four rape cases. One of the victims, an 84 year-old woman, died at the Medical College Hospital (MCH), Thiruvananthapuram, on Friday.
The 84-year-old woman was raped at midnight on Easter eve (April 19) when others from her house at Chavara had gone for Easter mass. The victim was admitted to a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. Hospital authorities confirmed that the woman was raped and lodged a complaint with the Pettah police. She was later shifted to the MCH, where she died. A neighbour, identified as Mohanan, was arrested by the police.
In another case, a 45-year-old man was arrested by the Kundara police on the charge of sexually assaulting a five-year-old girl on April 23. The accused, Mohanan, is a relative of the victim. The victim told her mother about the incident, who informed the police.
Woman heldAt Pathanapuram, four men and a woman were arrested in a case registered in connection with the rape of a 16-year-old Dalit girl. The victim’s father died years ago and her mother had married another man, Mohanan. Later, she too died and he married another woman, Janamma.
The police said Mohanan had been raping the victim for the past three years with Janamma’s knowledge. Later, he allowed three friends, Maneesh, Bijukuttan, and Anil, to rape her.
Two men were arrested by the Kollam East police on Friday on the charge of raping a 13-year-old girl. One of the accused, identified as Balu Harilal, 22, is alleged to have raped her promising marriage. Shibu, an auto driver, who was aware of the relationship between the two, was also arrested. Shibu, a friend of Harilal, is alleged to have raped the girl after threatening to expose her relationship with Harilal.
