An 18-year-old Dalit woman from the southern Indian state of Kerala has accused 64 men of sexual harassment since she was 13 years old.
Police have so far arrested 28 people in connection with the incident, who are in custody and have not yet made a public statement.
Police told the BBC the defendants, aged between 17 and 47, included the woman’s neighbours, sports coaches and her father’s friends.
The woman reported the alleged abuse after a team of counselors working for the government visited her home.
Police have registered around 18 cases under India’s various crime laws and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, a law aimed at preventing crimes against people belonging to lower castes and tribes in India.
Dalits are at the bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy and face widespread discrimination in India despite laws meant to protect them.
Senior police official Nandakumar S told BBC Hindi that a case has also been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act as the abuse occurred when the woman was a minor.
As police continue to investigate the case, it is expected that more cases will be registered in the future. A team of 25 people was formed.
Police said the alleged abuse began when the girl was 13 years old. Her neighbor allegedly molested her and took sexually explicit photos of her. The News Minute website reported.
Her neighbor allegedly sexually abused her again when she was 16, videotaping the abuse and sharing it with several other people who continued to assault her over the years.
Speaking to the Indian Express newspaper, the lawyer, who chairs the local Child Welfare Committee (CWC), said the woman was an athlete and attended various sports camps, which may have encouraged further abuse.
Police said the woman was accused of being gang-raped three times over the past five years.
The alleged abusers used her father’s phone number to contact her, and the woman reportedly saved their contact information on her phone. Police are currently tracking the defendant using his cell phone.
It is reported that the woman’s family was not aware of the alleged abuse.
This problem came to light last month when a counseling team visited the woman’s home. The counselor informed the CWC about the matter and the woman was asked to appear before the committee along with her mother.
“She underwent counseling and spoke to a psychologist about the sexual abuse she had suffered since the age of 13,” a CWC representative told The Indian Express.
He added that the woman was shifted to a shelter affiliated with CWC for her protection.
This woman’s claims shocked the nation. She is expected to give a detailed account of the alleged abuse to the female police officer.
Additional reporting: Imran Qureshi, BBC Hindi
