Three suspects arrested over rape of minor

Three men have been arrested in connection with the rape of a 16-year-old girl in Malé last month.

The criminal court remanded the suspects to 15 days in custody last Tuesday, local media reported.

One of the men was arrested on the night of the incident on July 24, and the other two were arrested on Monday following a police investigation.

A police spokesman was unable to provide any further information. 

The 16-year old was reportedly assaulted during her college break at around 8 pm.

Earlier reports said she was taken to an unspecified location by two men. She knew one of her attackers, a source told VFP.

According to more recent media reports, she was walking with a male friend near the Sinamalé social housing flats when they were set upon by a group of men, who forcibly led the girl into the flats.

“The group came out of the flats at that time and they attacked the [male] friend, and after restraining him they forced the girl to go into the flats. Her friend kept saying sorry as she was led inside,” a family member told Mihaaru.

The teenager told her family about the rape after returning to Hulhumalé around 10 pm. She later went to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital for a sexual assault forensic examination, after which the family reported the rape to police.

The authorities have been silent on rape and sexual assault statistics.

There have been 159 cases of gender-based violence reported to the gender ministry in the first half of this year. Seven of these are rape cases.

There were 33 cases of gender-based violence reported in June.

There were 355 sexual offence cases reported to police in 2017. Figures for 2018 are unavailable.