Medical examinations have established that nine girls taking part in a ‘human skills development’ course at Hantana in Kandy have been sexually abused.
Police say the victims, aged between 15 and 17 years, were among 17 girls who had attended a six-month residential course.Kandy HQI Nipuna Dehigama said they were investigating to arrest those responsible.
Four of the victimized girls had fled the hostel of the course centre at dawn on Moday, remained in hiding in a nearby jungle and with the help of area residents, gone to police.
The girls had answered a newspaper advertisement to prepare students who had failed the GCE ordinary level examination last year to sit for the exam again.
Parents had paid Rs. 140,000 as course fees for each of the girls.The girls had been allowed to meet their parents only once a month.Without the parents’ knowledge, the girls had been taken outside on two nights, said one mother.
Hostel wardens had even disrupted the girls’ meetings with the parents.The parents say they were dissatisfied with the manner police were conducting investigations, BBC Sandeshaya reports.
