Surat, Oct 9 (PTI) A teenage girl was allegedly raped by three men when she was out with a friend during the ongoing Navratri festival in Gujarat’s Surat district, with two of the suspects arrested, police said on Wednesday.
Police had to open fire while nabbing the two accused during a chase though no one was injured, an official said.
The 17-year-old was sexually assaulted in a deserted place on the outskirts of Mota Borsara village in Mangrol taluka within the jurisdiction of Kosamba police station around 11 pm on Tuesday, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Hitesh Joysar said.
The incident came days after a teenager was gang-raped on the outskirts of Vadodara in the state when she was out with a friend.
“The teenager had gone to Kim to meet her friends after attending her coaching class. At around 10.30 pm, she had ice cream with her two friends. She and her (male) friend were then sitting in a deserted place on their way to a petrol pump along the highway near Mota Borsara when three men approached them,” the SP said.
While her friend escaped, the trio raped her before decamping with her and her friend’s mobile phones, the official said.
Police arrested two of the three suspects, and hunt was on to nab the third person who has also been identified, Joysar said.
“A city crime branch official had to fire a few rounds when the duo tried to run into the bushes. Nobody was injured in the firing. The police officials used legitimate force to nab them as they resisted arrest,” the SP said.
A motorcycle found abandoned some distance from the crime spot gave police clues as to the accused’s identities, stated a release issued by the Kosamba police station.
The accused had followed the victim, and took her pictures after forcing her to remove her clothes, it said. They forced themselves on her by threatening to circulate those pictures, the release added.
Around 20 teams involving over 200 police personnel were formed to nab the accused. A dog squad and a forensic team were also pressed into service while footage of several CCTV cameras installed in the area was scanned.
The arrested men were identified as Munna Paswan (40) and Shivshankar Chaurasia (45). They had several criminal cases registered against them, officials said.
After escaping from the spot, the girl’s friend informed locals who reached the area within half an hour and launched a search operation. In the meantime, the police were also alerted.
An FIR was registered under sections 70-b (gangrape of woman under 18), 115-B (voluntarily causing hurt), 54 (abettor present when offence is committed), and 309-4 (causing hurt in robbery attempt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
In a similar incident, a minor was raped by three people at a deserted place on the outskirts of Vadodara on the night of October 4, triggering a statewide outcry. The three accused in that case were arrested on Monday. PTI COR KA PD NR KRK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.