In what seemed like love jihad, three were arrested for kidnapping, blackmailing, drugging and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in Arivarikuzhi in Kilimanoor block of the Chirayinkeezhu taluk of Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala. Vettoor native Hussain (20), Venkulam native Rakhil (19), and Manthara native Kamal were arrested.

The alleged drug/rape incident happened last Saturday. Hussain groomed the sixteen-year-old through Instagram. For a short time, the girl became friends with Hussain, the first accused in the case, and he had promised to marry her.

Hussain and his friends reached the girl’s house at midnight on Saturday. Hussain asked the minor girl to come out. The accused told the girl he was waiting outside and needed to talk to her.

Accordingly, the girl came out, and Hussain took her on his motorcycle to a nearby deserted rubber collection shed. It was a trap, and Hussain and his friends abused their minor victim all night. Hussain sexually assaulted her first.

Meanwhile, Kamal, hiding in the darkness nearby, approached them. Kamal claimed he was the rubber farm owner and snatched her clothes. Kamal acted like he was about to intimate the neighbours when the victim cried for forgiveness. Kamal used it as an opportunity and raped her.

Rakhil appeared next and claimed he had videos of the sexual abuse on his phone. He promised to upload them online. Rakhil, too, sexually manipulated the minor.

All this while, Hussain remained there, claiming victimhood and acting like pleading with the other rapists to leave the victim alone. Hussain comforted the victim, promising to take her Cochin and marry her.

The accused also tried to destroy the girl’s mobile phone so that the police could not investigate. Meanwhile, the accused forcefully gave drugs to the girl. After the sexual assault, the girl became unconscious, and the accused escaped from the spot.

At the same time, the parents complained to the Kilimanoor police about the girl missing at home. During the police investigation, the girl was found in the rubber plantation around 11 am on Sunday. ABC Malayalam reported that Hussain dropped the minor girl back home.

The victim used another social media account and searched for Hussain. She saw an old photo of Hussain and Kamal together, taken in 2019. She understood she had been cheated.

She immediately sent messages to Hussain, but he did not reply. Her parents then got hold of the suicide note she had prepared. They informed the police, who admitted the victim for counselling.

Then, the accused were picked up from Varkala after checking their phone calls. A police team led by Attingal DySP R Pradeep Kumar and Kilimanoor Inspector B Jayan took the accused into custody. A case was registered against the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) section, produced in the court and remanded.

Hussain and his gang targeted girls who constantly uploaded reels on Instagram. All members shared details on new prey between themselves. They ensured the others did not follow girls who had befriended one gang member. They also did not contact each other on social media.

Hussain forgot to delete the old 2019 photo, which alerted the victim and cornered the accused. Otherwise, the victim would have trusted Hussain’s marriage promise and waited.

This is not the first time that Hussain and his gang have groomed young girls. Police are finding it hard to find victims. Fear of defamation is preventing many minor girls from coming forward to claim the police.

Hussain and his gang had reached Aruvarikuzhi three days before the rape incident. They were there to survey where to take the victim. This was when they chose the deserted rubber farm and the shed.

Hussain and his gang used the modus operandi of grooming, trapping, sharing and raping young girls. It was the responsibility of the ‘lover’ to console and send the victim back home. This time, Hussain did not follow the golden rule of sticking to the lover’s role after a gang rape. He groomed another girl and started to chat with her for hours.

How many more young girls have to be entrapped before society wakes up to the grooming jihad menace? How many should die, commit suicide or be killed? Only when the minor girls understand the dangers will the parents be able to help them.