2 minor girls gang-raped in MP's Rewa; 5 persons held, case lodged after video surfaces

Two minor girls, who were cousins aged 14 and 16, were allegedly gang-raped in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district and the incident sparked outrage after a video surfaced on social media, an official said. Police arrested five persons and continuing search for two more accused.

Rewa (Madhya Pradesh) : 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. 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. (PTI)