Three people – including the nurse at a government primary health care centre in Chikkamagaluru district — were arrested on charges of sexual exploitation of minor girls, police said on Saturday.

The accused were identified as Suresh (37), Vinay (27) and Chandana (26), an officer aware of the matter said.

“Suresh who was a ‘D’ group employee in a residential school in Kadur town would interact with minor girls’ parents at the school and persuade them to send their children to paramedical courses, saying that there is a scope of getting high salary after completing the programme,” Kadur police inspector M Dhananjay told HT.

Once the girls’ parents give their consent for the “course”, Suresh would take the students to the government quarters allotted to Chandana – a staff nurse at the PHC, where her partner Vinay would sexually assault them and give them drugs, Dhanajay added.

According to police, Vinay runs a provision shop and he and Chandana have been in a live-in relationship for quite some time.

“The harassment was ongoing for several months, but no minor came forward… The incident came to light when one of the victims narrated the incident to her parents, who filed a complaint with Kadur police based on which an FIR (first information report) was registered,” an officer aware of the matter said.

A case under section 328 (administering drugs) and 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act was registered. The accused were produced before JMFC court, Kadur, which sent the them to judicial custody of 4 days, the inspector said. “Medical examination was conducted on victims and accused and police are waiting for a report,” he said.