Four men remanded in Kozhikode after woman reports drug-induced gang rape

Four men have been arrested and remanded in judicial custody in Kerala's Kozhikode district after a woman accused them of repeatedly drugging and gang-raping her over a two-year period.

The arrests followed a co-ordinated, overnight search by Kozhikode rural police after the survivor came forward to file her complaint on Friday, 11 September 2026. Officers tracked the suspects to various locations across the district, including Kappad, Mankavu, and Karuvannur, before presenting them in court on Saturday, where they were remanded.

Perambra police have identified the accused as 39-year-old Valiyaparamba Jasif, 49-year-old Chamboli Sakkir Hussain, 40-year-old Kalayamkulathu Rejeesh, and 46-year-old Thanippatta Abhilash.

The allegations of blackmail and assault

According to investigators, one of the arrested men is a relative of the survivor. In her statement to the police, she alleged that she was forcibly given alcohol and narcotic substances before being taken to several lodges and private houses where the sexual assaults took place.

The abuse had reportedly been going on for two years, but the survivor did not report it sooner due to persistent blackmail. She told officers that one of the men had filmed the assaults and threatened to distribute the videos if she told anyone. It was only after the harassment and threats persisted that she finally decided to go to the Perambra police station.

The investigation has also pointed to a financial element. Police said one of the suspects is believed to have accepted money in exchange for facilitating the assaults.

Standoff during police raids

The arrests on Friday night were marked by a brief standoff at one of the locations. When officers traced one of the suspects to a relative’s home in Azhchavattam, Kozhikode, the relative refused to allow the police inside. Officers had to call in reinforcements to conduct a thorough search of the house before they could take the suspect into custody.

The other suspects were located and arrested in Kappad and Karuvannur during searches that continued throughout the night.

Suspects with prior criminal records

Some of the accused are already familiar to local law enforcement. A senior police officer involved in the investigation confirmed that some of the men have criminal backgrounds. Rejeesh, in particular, was previously detained under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act and has served a prison sentence for assaulting his father.

The investigation remains open, and police suspect that more people may have been involved in the wider conspiracy. Officers intend to seek physical custody of the four remanded men in the coming days to question them further and establish the full scale of the offences.