Kasaragod: The 16-year-old boy, the survivor in a high-profile gay app-linked POCSO case, was physically attacked by three men on Monday night. An education officer and a Railway Protection Force (RPF) officer are among those who sexually assaulted the boy for two years.

Even while the investigation was into the cases, the boy was stopped and physically assaulted while he was on his way back home from an ATM in Trikaripur, said Chandera Police. A case has been registered against three men who are identifiable by sight, they said.

In the original case, police said the boy created an account on the dating app Grindr in 2023, when he was 14-years-old, by declaring himself an adult. Investigators found that he was subsequently sexually abused by multiple men, including government employees, entrepreneurs, and individuals associated with socio-religious and political organisations. When the case came to light, Grindr suspended his account, but police called for stricter age verification by dating apps.

Four police stations across four districts had registered 16 cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Those arrested include Sainudeen V K (52), Assistant Education Officer of Bekal sub-district; Chitraraj Eravil (48), a football coach and RPF officer declassified as a Railway clerk after an injury; Kunhahammed Haji (55), a native of Valvakad in Trikaripur and activist of Jamaat-e-Islami, and brother of a firebrand CPM leader in Kasaragod; M Sukesh (30) of Vellachal in Pilicode panchayat; Shijith (36) of Cheemeni panchayat; Rayees (30) of Vadake Kovval in Trikaripur; Ramzan (64) of Padannakkad in Kanhangad town; Narayanan Chambrakanam (60) of Cheemeni; and light & sound owner T Mohammed Afsal (23) of Chandera; and Youth Congress Trikaripur general secretary Sirajuddin Vadakumpad (46).

Kozhikode Kasaba Police arrested Abdul Manaf (37), a textile business owner from Kinassery in Kozhikode. Payyannur Police arrested Prajeesh (40), who manages an optical shop in Perumba, and Gireesh, a small-time civil contractor from Korom.