The Fort police on Wednesday arrested a ninth standard student and a 55-year-old watchman of a marriage hall on the charge of “gang raping” a 25-year-old mentally challenged woman.
Circle Inspector, Fort, Y.S. Suresh, identified the watchman as Jayakumar, a resident of Muttathara here.
The victim's mother has been running a small wayside tea-stall in the city. Her father had died earlier. Her mother routinely left home at 5 a.m. to run the tea-stall. On Tuesday morning, she chided her daughter for some perceived misdemeanour. In protest, the woman left her home and stood alone at a nearby junction. Mr. Suresh said the schoolboy, who is accused in over six cases, invited her to watch a movie.
He hired an autorickshaw and took her to the marriage hall. Mr. Suresh said the watchman and the 15-year-old boy “repeatedly raped” her in a remote corner of the auditorium.