13-year-old sexually assaulted by mother's friend in Payyoli

Kozhikode: A 13-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted repeatedly by her mother's friend over the past two and a half years, at Payyoli in the district. The incident came to light after the girl revealed the series of abuse to her teachers during a counselling session in her school.

After the school authorities reported the incident to the police, the special team of Payyoli police took the 39-year-old mother into custody on Friday. Police have also initiated steps to bring back the main accused of the case, the mother's friend, who went abroad.

According to police, the girl was subjected to rape several times by the mother's lover, who is a 49-year-old man. "The girl was staying with her mother. As the girl's father was working abroad, the man was a frequent visitor at their home and the girl was subjected to assault several times. As the mother also supported the abuse by her lover, the girl was reluctant to disclose the incident. As per the preliminary examination, she was raped several times brutally," officials said.

We have taken the mother into custody, and the interrogation procedures are on. We have also started the procedures to arrest the main accused, who already left India, even before registering the case, officials added.

The girl has been handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) authorities of Kozhikode. A senior official of CWC said that they are hopeful that more details regarding the sexual assault incidents of the girl would come out in the coming days.