Rape horror as 18-year-old reveals sexual abuse and gang rape committed over five years by 64 men, including her father’s friends and neighbors

An 18-year-old woman in India has bravely spoken out to accuse 64 men of sexually abusing her over a five-year period.

Police have arrested 28 people in connection with the horrific abuse campaign in the state of Kerala, which reportedly dates back to when the victim was just 13.

That’s what the authorities said the BBC that the suspects are between 17 and 47 years old, including the victim’s neighbors, sports teachers and friends of her father.

The victim was allegedly abused at the age of 13 by a neighbor, who later shared recorded videos of the abuse with others who continued to abuse her.

Authorities told the broadcaster that she had been raped three times in the past five years, after the victim sought help and spoke to psychologists.

The harrowing ordeal came to light when the victim, a district-level athlete, met volunteers of the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society, which helped women in rural areas.

The allegations were reported to the Child Welfare Committee. A lawyer for the group said sports camps attended by the young athlete could have facilitated abuse.

The teen’s family was unaware of the alleged abuse, a CWC official said local media.

The victim was recently referred to a psychologist who has been trying to “establish the credibility of her allegations” as police continue their investigation.

They say she never spoke to her mother about the alleged abuse.

The CWC has since transferred her to a shelter for her protection while investigations are ongoing.

Officials said they looked through the girl’s father’s phone, which they understood she had access to.

On the device they say they found the names of several men accused of abusing the victim, but they have not been named.

Police are now using the phone to track down the suspects, while dozens suspected of heinous crimes are yet to be apprehended.

“Once the investigation progresses, the chances of involvement of more people cannot be ruled out,” said advocate N Rajeev, head of the Pathanamthitta Child Welfare Committee. Indian Express.

A team of 25 people has been put together to conduct the research.

Those who had already been booked were kept under various sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the outlet reported.

The law exists to protect people from lower castes and tribes in India from crimes of discrimination.

The victim has been identified as a Dalit, a member of an Indian caste at the bottom of the social hierarchy, who is often discriminated against despite legal protections.

The story has stirred audiences in India, which are already acutely aware of the problem of violence against women.

Just last week, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) charged the parents of two girls who allegedly committed suicide after allegedly being abused.

A child pictured at a vigil to condemn the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a government-run hospital in Calcutta, on a street in Mumbai, India, on August 14

The parents in Palakkad were accused of incitement to sexual abuse and suicide, a charge that alleged they knew of the girls’ abuse but did nothing to report it to police.

The girls, aged 9 and 13, were found dead in 2017 after being hanged in their home after allegedly being abused for months by five people, including another child.

Four people, including two family members, were acquitted in 2019 after the court ruled there was no scientific evidence linking them to the crimes.

Two of the four later died by suicide, Indian Express reports.

Investigation showed that the suspect had easy access to the parental home.