The police have arrested 10 persons on charge of raping a minor Dalit girl at various places at Kattappana and Nedumkandam in the district.
The incident came to light on Tuesday when her parents noticed that she was absent from school and later her father found her at the old bus stand in Kattappana. He filed a petition before the police.
Inquiries revealed that the16-year-old girl was first abused in 2012.
The arrested are Nariyampara Pattarukandathil Prince, 22; his brother Jins, 20; Palathara Robin, 25; Upputhara Mathayipara Kuruppancheery Santhosh, 35; Kattappana Vadakkemandapathil
Jomon Joseph, 26; Nedumkandam Kakkaravayalil Vijayakumar, 33; Pezhumkavala Kanappallil Manikuttan, 24; Nedumkandam Edasseril Soman, 57; Vallakkadavu Thoonkuzhy Arun, 21, and Anakkara Pulickal Sudheesh 21. Six of them were arrested on Wednesday and the rest on Thursday.
The police also seized three autorickshaws used for taking her to different places.
The police said more people would be arrested in connection with the case.
The police said autorickshaw driver Vijayakumar, who was known to autorikshaw driver Manikuttan, said to be close to the girl, had lured her and raped her at Nedumkandam on Tuesday. She was then taken to Kattappana and raped by Manikuttan, Soman, Prince and Arun. She was taken back to Nedumkandam, where she was again raped, and later abandoned at Kattappana.
The police said the girl was first raped by Jomon at Vazhavara, near Kattappana, in 2012.
16-year-old was first abused in 2012, say police
