Indian police arrest 44 men accused of raping teenager over five years

The victim is an athlete from the so-called lower caste community known as Dalits

Police in India's southern state of Kerala have arrested 44 men accused of raping an 18-year-old girl over a period of five years, a police official said on Tuesday, in a case that has shocked the coastal tourist resort.

The victim, an athlete who belongs to the so-called lower caste community known as Dalits, told police in a statement that she was sexually abused by 62 people over a period of five years.

Police have identified 58 of those men, some of whom are minors and arrested 44 over the last two days, officials said.

"We have identified the remaining 14 and they would be arrested soon," the Deputy Superintendent of Police in the Pathanamthitta district where the crimes took place, PS Nandakumar, told Reuters.

The case came to light after the girl narrated the gang rape to a volunteer during a gender awareness programme. Nandkumar, who heads the investigation, said details of how the crimes were committed were still being investigated.

In her statement to the police, the victim said abuse began when she was 13 after her neighbour allegedly raped her.

Local media reported that four of the accused were minors.

Under Indian law, accused in rape cases that involve lower castes do not immediately get bail. Reuters was not able to reach any of the accused for a comment.

There were more than 31,000 reported rapes in 2022 in India, the latest year for which data is available, and conviction rates are notoriously low.

The rape and murder of a trainee doctor in the eastern city of Kolkata caused outrage across the country last year, with protests and street marches calling for action against the accused.