A minor girl was allegedly raped by eight youth in a deserted part of Mahim in Palghar taluka during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. The crime allegedly took place inside an abandoned bungalow located near a beach.
The police have registered a case and said on Sunday that they have arrested the eight accused. The girl, who is aged 15 years and 1 month old, was taken to a bungalow in a lonely stretch near the Tembhi Beach of Mahim and raped by eight youth, according to her family.
Her alleged ordeal began at 8 p.m. of Friday night and continued till 11 a.m. of Saturday morning, according to the police. The survivor was later dropped off at a lonely spot by one of the accused, the police said. Her parents registered a complaint on Saturday afternoon at the Satpati Police Station as their daughter had not come home on Friday.
The police acted on the complaint of the girl’s family and especially considering that the girl is a minor located her with the help of technical surveillance.
After giving the girl primary medical aid, the parents and police officials sought details about the crime to lodge a case against the perpetrators. The police formed different teams and arrested eight accused, who are between the ages of 21 and 30 years, with the help of informants and their mobile phones’ locations.
A case was registered in Satpati Police Station of Palghar against the accused under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 376 (D) (A) (gangrape of a woman under 16 years of age), 376(3) (rigorous imprisonment for those raping on a woman under 16 years of age), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and relevant sections of the the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The accused have been remanded to police custody till December 22.
