An 18-year-old girl athlete has shaken Kerala by revealing she had since the age of 13 been sexually abused by at least 64 people, including her classmates at school, neighbours, coaches and fellow athletes.

Pocso (child sexual abuse) cases have been registered against 40 people the police have so far checked up on from among the 64 that the Dalit girl has named. Two police stations in her home district of Pathanamthitta have till now arrested 14 people, including a few youths from her neighbourhood.

Cases against more accused are expected to be filed at more police stations.

N. Rajeev, chairman of the district child welfare council (CWC), told The Telegraph the girl was mentally traumatised but stable at the shelter home where she had been shifted.

Her day-labourer parents were unaware of the sexual abuse their daughter had undergone for five years until a group of CWC counsellors arrived at their home during a door-to-door visit and stumbled on the horrifying truth.

As the counsellors’ group, called Snehitha, asked routine questions about whether the children were attending school — the victim has a younger sibling — the girl confided in them about her ordeal.

The atrocity became public knowledge on Friday night when the Pathanamthitta and Elavumthitta police stations filed the cases.

Sources said the girl was first sexually abused at the age of 13 by her then boyfriend, who later handed her over to his friends. Some of the abuse allegedly happened at her home when the parents were out for work.

Later, the girl, a local-level athlete, began staying away from home on the pretext of attending overnight training camps. She has alleged sexual abuse there, too.

The CWC then enlisted the help of a psychologist to gather the details of the abuse the girl had undergone, Rajeev told this newspaper. It then instructed the police to file cases based on the psychologist’s report, including Pocso cases since most of the abuse took place when the victim was a minor.

“Some of the abusers were under 18, and include her classmates. The oldest among the abusers are some people aged 35 years,” Rajeev said.

“Her father is a house painter and her mother is an MGNREGA labourer. Their level of education is very low and they never realised their elder daughter was being sexually abused. I suspect more men are involved as her confession is only halfway through.”

Rajeev said the police’s job of identifying the alleged abusers had become easy because their names and numbers were saved on the mobile of the girl’s father, without his knowledge.

The suspects apparently communicated with the girl over the father’s phone.

“The Ranni and Konni police stations too might file new cases on Sunday depending on whether the girl reveals more names,” Pathanamthitta deputy superintendent of police S. Nandakumar told this newspaper.

He added: “We cannot question the victim for long hours as we have to understand the trauma she is undergoing. The parents and their younger child are also being closely monitored.”

Past instances of serial sexual abuse in Kerala have often involved bigwigs who brought pressure on the police to bury or dilute the cases.

“We will not budge under any pressure from higher-ups (if any), and everyone involved will be brought to book,” Nandakumar promised.

A special police team has been formed for the investigation, being overseen by district police chief V.G. Vinod Kumar.

National Commission for Women chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has directed the immediate arrest of all the accused.

“NCW has also urged for a fair and time-bound investigation, and necessary support for the victim, including medical and psychological care. A detailed action taken report has been sought within three days,” the commission wrote on X.