Sri Vijaya Puram, April 18: A minor girl from Sri Vijaya Puram was allegedly introduced to narcotic substances and sexually abused over nearly a year by a group of young men known to each other and moving in the same social circle, according sources familiar with the investigation.
The case came to light after the survivor’s statement was recorded, following which the Aberdeen police launched a swift operation and arrested six accused within 24 hours, officials said.
Those arrested have been identified as Shiv Kumar alias Charan, 25, of Aberdeen Bazaar; Rohit, 22, of Dairy Farm; Mohammed Arshad, 25, of Haddo; Shabash Mohammed, 27, of Bambooflat; Siddhant Charan, 33, of Dollygunj; and Uddiptho Mistry, 20, of Garacharma.
Sources said the accused allegedly exploited the girl’s vulnerability after introducing her to drugs and then repeatedly took advantage of the situation. Investigators are also examining whether others were involved and whether the abuse was part of a broader pattern of predatory conduct by a closely linked group.So
According to the sources the accused appear to know one another and belong to the same social circle, a factor that has become central to the investigation. The police are now trying to establish the individual role of each accused, the circumstances in which the minor was allegedly given narcotic substances, and the full timeline of the abuse.
Senior officers said multiple teams have been deployed to trace others who may be connected to the case. The probe is also focusing on how the narcotic substances were procured and supplied to the victim.
The identity of the survivor has been withheld in keeping with legal and ethical norms relating to cases involving minors and sexual offences
Police said the case is being treated with utmost seriousness and that no one found involved will be spared. The accused are being questioned and further arrests are likely as the investigation widens.
The case has sent fresh shockwaves through Sri Vijaya Puram and raised troubling questions about the growing intersection of narcotics abuse and crimes against minors in the islands.
It is also yet another reminder of the wider drug problem confronting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In a recent case, police recovered more than 250 grams of methamphetamine from a jungle stretch near the Hut Bay coast during a field operation based on specific inputs. That seizure had followed other enforcement actions and underlined the increasing presence of synthetic drugs in the islands. Against that backdrop, the latest case is likely to sharpen concern over how narcotic substances are finding their way into local youth networks and being linked to more serious crimes.
