Alappuzha (Kerala) | Police said on Saturday that the father and cousin of a 14-year-old girl were arrested for sexually assaulting her over the years in this coastal district.

Police added that, apart from the girl's father and cousin, two more persons are accused of sexually assaulting her at different times and are absconding.

They said four separate cases have been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the accused, as the incidents of sexual assault occurred on different dates.

The search is on for the remaining two accused, police said.

The incidents of sexual assault occurred over four years in the Punnapra area of the district, they added.

The girl was sexually assaulted when she was eight years old by her maternal uncle, who was arrested and later died by suicide when he came out on bail, police said.

Subsequently, the girl was living in a home run by the child welfare committee.

A few years ago, her father brought her from there in 2022 and put her under the care of a relative.

It was after that that the incidents of sexual assault commenced, police said.

The incidents came to light after the girl narrated her experiences to a friend, who told his parents, and they informed the police.