Six people have been arrested in Kerala, India, after seven children were lured away from an orphanage and sexually assaulted.
Initial reports suggest the girls, aged between 12 and 16, were abudcted by a gang on their way to school.
They were apparently offered sweets and then forced to watch videos of a sexual nature before being subjected to abuse.
The police sent the girls for a medical examination to confirm the sexual assaults, according to the Hindustan Times.
Allegations have been made that the abuse went on for a period of more than four months and was only discovered when the security guard of the orphanage found one of the girls coming out of a nearby shop in tears.
The victims were apparently threatened and warned against reporting the crimes.
A total of eleven cases have been filed and more arrests are expected in the coming days.
“It is yet another blot on the state. All child abuse cases should be fast-tracked and guilty will be given deterrent punishment,” Mahila Congress leader Bindhu Krishna, told the Hindustan Times.
