Police arrest 2 men suspected of blackmailing and raping a 15-year-old

Police have arrested two men suspected of blackmailing and raping a 15-year-old girl from A. Dh. Dhigurah.

A family member of the 15-year-old girl – who studies in the 9th grade – said that the two men had initially taken a photograph of her talking to her boyfriend, and threatened to show it to the school principal.

The family member said the girl – described as an “innocent” girl and “model student” of “outstanding discipline” – had been told by the men they would not show the picture to the principal if she didn't talked to them.

She was then lured to a construction site on July 16 where she was molested, and taken photographs of.

She was also beaten by the abusers when she started calling out for help.

“It wasn’t an isolated area. There were people around. But the place where they took her to was a construction site – the nearest house was about 20 to 30 feet away,” said the family member.

The family member, who lives on another island, said that the family had noticed that she had stopped eating and talking to anyone, withdrawing into herself.

She had also pleaded with a family member to take her away to another island, saying that some men in Dhigurah were harassing her.

The family member who the girl pleaded to reported with regret that he had told her to give no heed to the harassment, not knowing how deep the abuse ran.

The family reported that the men continued to harass her, threatening to leak the pictures.

They also told her no police officer would be willing to arrest them, when she threatened to report them to the police.

She was lured again by the two men and raped on July 23.

“First one man raped her. She cried and told me she was so scared and in pain she didn’t know what to do. And then the one outside on the lookout came in and told her he wanted the same thing the other man had gotten, and they both gang raped her. That was when she finally told us,” said the family member who spoke to “Sun”.

Police spoke to “Sun” and said that two men were arrested from A. Dh. Atoll on Tuesday night for suspected blackmail and sexual abuse of a minor.