- Accused are residents of villages on the border of Kasaragod-Karnataka border
- Vitla Police have registered a case under the POCSO Act and the Prevention of Atrocities Act
Kasaragod: A 14-year-old Dalit girl was sexually assaulted multiple times allegedly by five persons in Vitla police station limits in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district.
Police have charged five persons with relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, said Dakshina Kannada district police chief C B Ryshyanth.
They have also been charged under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Four of them are residents of Vitla and one is from Kasaragod, but their houses are on the border of Karnataka and Kerala, said Ryshyanth.
According to sources, police have arrested four of the five accused: Sukumar Belchada (28), a resident of Beripadavu; Kamalaksha Belchada (30), a resident of Kojappa in Bayar Village; Akshay Devadiga (24), a resident of Beripadavu and native of Moodbidri; and Jaiprakash.
Akshay worked as a painter and stayed with his elder brother at Beripadavu, Kamalaksha is a mason, and Sukumar is a commercial vehicle driver, said police.
Jaiprakash, who was the last person to be arrested, and Sukumar work with Bajrang Dal, said an officer.
According to the girl's complaint, she was assaulted multiple times at various places, the last being on Friday, July 28.
"Medical examination has confirmed she was sexually assaulted," said the district police chief.