Overview

• Kasaragod police say a DySP-led Special Investigation Team is probing eight local cases, while six related incidents have been transferred to Kannur and Kozhikode.
• Nine suspects are in custody, including an Assistant Educational Officer and a Railway Protection Force member, and Bekal Sub-District Education Officer V. K. Sainudheen has been suspended after his arrest.
• Several accused remain untraced, including IUML leader Vadakkumbattu Siraj, and police have issued a lookout notice for a politician who is on the run.
• Investigators say the 16-year-old was abused over two years at his home and at locations across Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode and Ernakulam.
• Police report the boy met the men on a dating app that relies on self-declared age, and the case began after Childline alerted authorities following counseling.