Chennai horror – Deaf teenager raped for 7 months in apartment complex

The vulnerability of disabled girls and women to sexual assaults in India has been widely reported. In yet another incident that highlights the need to address this, a 11-year-old girl was allegedly raped by over 12 men for seven months at an apartment complex in Chennai.

The survivor lives with her parents at an apartment complex. Its a gated community, and the family was surrounded by security guards, lift operators and handymen.

The child, who is deaf, was regularly assaulted by 22 men. They drugged her with injections, adulterated soft drinks and other substances. According to one police officer, the men also filmed themselves raping the child, and blackmailed her into not telling her parents.

They would threaten her with violence, saying that they would also release the video.

The matter was exposed when the girl told her sister, who was visiting from Delhi, that she had a stomach ache. She talked about the abuse and the family registered a complaint.

Among the accused is a 66-year-old lift operator who would lead the child away as soon as she got off the school van. He would take her to the basement, toilets, the terrace and gym, where he and his associated would rape her. Many of the flats were vacant and the accused had no one noticing them.

18 men have been arrested so far. They are all employed with a private security firm in the city.

Three of the men have confessed to their crimes while the police have detained 15 others.

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