Kasaragod: Vidyanagar Police arrested four men in four separate cases registered under the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after a 14-year-old boy reported being sexually abused by a group for over two years.

The arrested persons were identified as Rajesh (35), Raman Kolliya (71), Raman Kodimathanan, and Chidambaram.

The crime came to light soon after a temple festival in Madhur grama panchayat, said an officer. Passersby noticed the boy standing alone in an isolated area long after the power supply to the temple grounds had been disconnected.

When enquired, the boy told the people that a 71-year-old man had taken him from the temple ground and assaulted him.

The people immediately alerted the police. During counselling sessions, the boy disclosed his prolonged ordeal - he had been abused by the group for the past two years.

Based on his statement, police arrested the four men and charged them under Section 5 (l) and (m) of the POCSO Act for allegedly committing repeated penetrative sexual assault on a child below 12 years, along with other relevant sections. The court has remanded all four accused to judicial custody, the officer said.