Madhya Pradesh: Five arrested as two minor girls gang-raped in Rewa

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Two minor girls were allegedly gang-raped in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district and police registered a case against seven men after a video of the incident surfaced on social media, an official said, reported news agency PTI.

Five of the accused have been arrested in connection with the incident which took place in a forest area under Hanumana police station limits some 25 days back. A video of it surfaced on Sunday, Additional Superintendent of Police Anil Sonkar told reporters on Monday.

The victims, both cousins aged 14 and 16, had taken goats for grazing in the forest, he said. Some persons who were roaming there allegedly raped the girls and shot the video, the official said.

The accused threatened the victims that they will circulate the video if the girls informed about the incident to anyone, he said. After the video surfaced on social media, the police started a probe and traced the victims, Sonkar said.

The girls told the police they got scared as the accused threatened them, hence they did not make any complaint in this connection earlier, he said.

The victims and their families complained to police on Monday and a case was subsequently registered against seven persons. Five of them have been arrested while search is on for the two others, the official said.

The accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for gang-rape and wrongful confinement as well as under the Information Technology Act for shooting the video and circulating it, he said.

In a separate case, earlier in October 2022, six persons were arrested for allegedly raping a woman in the Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh. The incident pertains to October 26. As per reports the accused allegedly took the complainant on his motorcycle to a party. The complainant girl was raped by six persons there. The rape survivor later lodged a complaint against the accused. "The incident occurred on October 26 and all the accused were arrested. The woman had come to Tikmagarh a month ago and she was living here at one of the accused Arvind Sahu's house at Chakra Road in the city," said Sub-Inspector Raghuraj.

The accused were identified as Arvind Sahu, Kallu Yadav, Raja Khare Radhe Rai, Rahul Yadav, and Raikwar.

Following the complaint, the police registered a case under sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 294 (obscene acts and songs), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 376 (rape), 377 (Unnatural offenses), and 506 (criminal intimidation).

(With inputs from PTI)