Bengaluru, Feb 2: Eight people have been arrested while hunt is on for nine others for allegedly sexually exploiting a 15-year-old girl over a period of five months in Chikkamagaluru district, police said on Tuesday.

Among the accused who have been arrested by the Sringeri police is her aunt who had pushed her into prostitution, a senior police officer said.

"We have arrested eight people including her Chikkamma (Aunt), who had pushed her into prostitution. Hunt is on for nine others who had sexually exploited the girl," the officer said.

According to police, the girl started living with her aunt after the death of her mother three years ago.

For the past few months she was working in a stone crushing facility and came in contact with a bus driver who allegedly raped and sexually abused her.

Later, he and his accomplices raped her, made videos and blackmailed her, police said, adding, her aunt was aware of it and allowed it to happen.

A case has been registered under various IPC sections on charges of trafficking, rape and connivance besides Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Immoral Trafficking Act and Child Labour Act.

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Chennai (PTI): TVK chief, actor-politician Vijay on Monday filed his nomination to contest Assembly polls from Perambur constituency in Chennai and appealed to the people to give an opportunity to his party TVK and vote for the party's whistle symbol on April 23.

After filing his papers, Vijay, addressing the people from his open-top campaign vehicle, reiterated his allegation that the DMK was an evil force.

He slammed the DMK regime alleging there was no safety for women and hit out at the government over the degraded law and order situation and for the alleged prevalence of drugs.

"We have to save Tamil Nadu. Who is responsible for this plight? The evil force DMK is the reason for this situation, Stalin sir is the reason," he alleged.

The 2026 Assembly polls is the debut polls for Vijay and he has chosen to fight from Perambur in north Chennai, which has a sizable population of the working classes. Also, he is contesting from Tiruchirappalli-East in central Tamil Nadu, a key part of the fertile Cauvery delta region.

Vijay said he quit his comfortable life and joined politics just for the sake of the people, to pay his debt of gratitude to them. "I have endured all the pain and came (joined politics) only for you. I will never lie, never deceive you."

He reiterated that the poll fight was confined between the ruling DMK and the debutant challenger TVK and denounced the 4-cornered contest.

"Do you want Stalin sir, who runs an anti-people government? Or do you want Vijay, who loves people? Please give an opportunity and vote for the whistle symbol. This should be a whistle revolution election.

The actor-turned politician wondered how people could live without having "basic amenities" and alleged that even elderly women did not have safety.

Alleging violent attacks due to consumption of "intoxicants," he asked, "Is this a country or a jungle. Does a government exist? Does it function?

Furthermore, he asked, "Is there safety in the regime of this evil force DMK? Did children have safety? Did you live peacefully?

Stalin is not concerned about the people and for him and his government, what mattered and important was "loot" alongwith the family during the past 5 years.

The TVK chief alleged Rs 1,000 crore corruption in state-run liquor corporation TASMAC. He also alleged a scandal involving a similar sum in the municipal administration department and a cash for jobs scam.

He asked the 'Gen z kids' to pick the whistle symbol on the day of polls in the electronic voting machine and support TVK.

He asked: "What can be done with this evil force, the DMK government, which offers no security and no employment? Shall we throw it away? Next, they will have piles of money and won't know what to do with it, so they'll give it to all of you, dreaming of winning somehow. As I said before, take everything. Take it and blow the whistle in their ears and send them away."

Vijay was presented by his party workers a 'Vel,' a spear-like weapon seen in the hands of Lord Muruga.