The Kerala police arrested a civil contractor in connection with the ongoing investigation into the sexual assault of a 16-year-old boy, taking the total arrests in the case to 10.
The man, identified as Gireesh, is among the 16 accused in Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode and Ernakulam who are suspected to have subjected the teen to sexual assault over a period of two years. The case involves the use of the dating app Grindr to target the minor.
The latest arrest adds to a growing list of suspects from various professional backgrounds, including a former Assistant Education Officer, a Railway Protection Force officer, a Jamaat-e-Islami activist, and a Youth League leader.
Police sources indicate that one of the missing accused, a Youth League leader, is expected to surrender imminently.
According to Kasaragod district police chief BV Vijaya Bharat Reddy, the victim was subjected to abuse over two years.
The investigation was initiated after the boy's mother noticed unusual behaviour and suspicious interactions on his phone and reported the matter to the police.
The case was then referred to Childline, where the boy disclosed the full extent of the abuse he had been enduring. Police also discovered that some accused had given the boy money.
The accused have been charged with serious offenses under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The charges include penetrative sexual assault, repeated sexual assault and enticing a child for pornographic purposes.
