14-year-old sexually abused by father and other relatives for four years; three arrested in Alappuzha

ALAPPUZHA: Three people have been arrested in connection with the incident where a 14-year-old girl was sexually abused by her father and relatives in Punnapra. Police said the girl had been subjected to repeated sexual abuse for the past four years. Among those arrested is her father.

According to the police, the child was first abused by her mother's brother when she was eight years old. In that case, the Alappuzha South Police had registered a POCSO case and arrested the accused. However, after being released on bail, he died by suicide.

The victim is the daughter of the father's first wife. After her mother left her, the girl lived at her father's sister's house. It was there that she was first abused. Later, following physical assault by her paternal aunt, the child was shifted to the Child Welfare Committee.

In 2022, the father took custody of the child from there. She then stayed with him at a relative's house. Police said that the abuse continued there as well. Over the past four years, the girl was allegedly sexually abused multiple times by close relatives, including her father, her paternal aunt’s husband, her paternal aunt’s son and another relative.

The incident came to light after the girl recently confided in a friend, who informed her mother. The mother, who is a councillor, reported the matter to the police. Based on the complaint, a case was registered under the POCSO Act, and the accused were arrested.