An 18-year-old Dalit woman from the southern Indian state of Kerala has accused 64 men of sexually assaulting her since she was 13 years old.
Police have arrested 28 people in connection with the case so far, and the men are in custody and have not made any public statement.
Police told the BBC that among the accused, who range in age from 17 to 47, were the woman's neighbors, sports coaches and her father's friends.
The woman reported the alleged abuse after a team of counselors working under a government scheme visited her home.
The police have registered around 18 cases under various crime laws in India as well as the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act – a law to prevent crimes against people belonging to lower castes and tribes in India.
Dalits are at the bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy and face widespread discrimination in India despite laws that protect them.
Nandakumar S, a senior police official, told BBC Hindi that the cases were also registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act because the assault occurred when the woman was a minor.
More cases are expected to be recorded in the coming days as police are still investigating the matter. A team consisting of 25 members was formed.
Police say the alleged assault began when the girl was 13 years old. The News Mint website reported that her neighbor harassed her and took sexually explicit photos of her.
Her neighbor allegedly sexually assaulted her again when she was 16, recorded videos of the abuse and shared them with several others who continued to abuse the woman over many years.
The lawyer who heads the district child welfare committee told The Indian Express that the woman was an athlete and attended several sports camps, which could have facilitated further abuse.
Police say the woman was gang-raped three times in the past five years.
Her attackers reportedly used her father's phone number to call her, and the woman stored their contacts in the phone. The police are now using the phone to track down the accused.
The woman's family was reportedly unaware of the alleged abuse.
The matter came to light when a team of counselors visited the woman's home last month. The advisors reported the matter to the Consumer Protection Committee and the woman was asked to appear before the committee with her mother.
“She took counselling, spoke to a psychiatrist and narrated the sexual abuse she had been facing since she was 13,” the CWC chief told the Indian Express.
He added that the woman was transferred to a CWC shelter for her protection.
The woman's allegations have sent shockwaves across the country. She is expected to provide a detailed statement about the alleged abuse of a female police officer.
Additional reporting by Imran Qureshi, BBC Hindi
