Aunt among 8 held for sexually exploiting 15-year-old girl

Chikkamagaluru: Eight people have been arrested while hunt is on for nine others for allegedly sexually exploiting a 15-year-old girl over a period of five months in Chikkamagaluru district, police said on Tuesday.

According to the first information report (FIR) registered at the Sringeri police station, the girl's aunt pushed the minor into prostitution. A complaint was registered by the district child welfare committee accusing more than 15 people of raping and sexually abusing the minor. According to police, the girl started living with her aunt after the death of her mother three years ago.

"The complaint by Subramanya G, who heads the child welfare committee in Chikkamagaluru, stated that Abhi, a local resident and Girish, a driver and his friends had allegedly raped and sexually abused the girl in the last five months. Those accused include the survivor's aunt after it emerged that she had known about the repeated sexual abuse. We have arrested eight people including her aunt. Hunt is on for nine others," the police statement reads.

The girl got acquainted with Girish, a bus driver, while she was working in a stone crushing unit. Girish raped the girl and later brought his friends along with him to sexually abuse the minor. The offenders included Chikka Abhi, a resident of Kikre village who took videos of the abuse to blackmail the girl. He aunt who was aware of the outrage being perpetrated by the men allowed it to happen. The victim's aunt works at a crushing unit located close to their home.

According to reports, apart from Girish and Abhi, others who were involved in exploiting the minor are Vikas, Manikanta, Sampath, Ashwath Gowda, Rajesh, Amith, Santosh, Deekshit, Niranjan, Narayana Gowda, Abhi Gowda, Yogesh and Vidya.

The accused have been charged under sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 370 (trafficking), 376 (3) (rape), 376 (n) (repeated rape) of the Indian Penal Code. They have also been booked under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Immoral Traffic Prevention Act and Child Labour Amendment Act, and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children Act). 'MGR Crushers' has been named in the FIR and its owner has also been booked.