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An 18-year-old Dalit woman from the southern Indian state of Kerala has accused 64 men of sexually abusing her since she was 13 years old.
The police have so far arrested 28 people in connection with the case – the men are in custody and have not made any public statements.
The accused, aged between 17 and 47, include the woman’s neighbours, sports coaches and friends of the father, police told the BBC.
The woman reported the alleged abuse after a group of counselors working under a government scheme visited her home.
The police have registered around 18 cases under various Indian crime laws, including the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which is a law to prevent 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 to protect them.
Cases have also been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenders Act since the abuse took place when the woman was a minor, senior police official Nandakumar S told BBC Hindi.
More cases are expected to be registered in the coming days as the police are still investigating the matter. A group of 25 members has been formed.
Police say the alleged abuse began when the girl was 13 years old. Her neighbor allegedly assaulted her and took sexually explicit photos of her, the News Minute website reported.
Her neighbor allegedly sexually abused her again when she was 16, recorded videos of the abuse and shared it with several others who continued to assault the woman for many years.
A lawyer heading the District Child Welfare Committee (CWC) told The Indian Express that the woman was an athlete and had participated in various sports camps, which could have facilitated further abuse.
The police say that the woman was allegedly raped three times in the last five years.
The alleged attackers allegedly used her father’s phone number to contact her and the woman saved their contacts on her phone. The police are now using the phone to track the accused.
The woman’s family did not seem to know about the alleged abuse.
The matter came to light when a team of counselors visited the woman’s home last month. The advisers alerted the CWC about the matter and asked the woman to appear before the commission along with her mother.
“She was counselled, and she opened up to a psychologist, narrating her sexual abuse at the age of 13,” the CWC chief told The Indian Express.
He added that the woman was taken to a CWC-affiliated shelter for her protection.
The woman’s allegations have caused shockwaves across the country. A female police officer is expected to give a detailed statement of alleged abuse.
Additional reporting by Imran Qureshi, BBC Hindi
