15-year-old girl gang-raped in Palghar, 8 arrested

“The teenager had messaged her friend that she was kidnapped. The friend then passed on the message to her family members after which the father had come to the police station,” said an investigator.

“The father said when he had called her, the 15-year-old was crying and she did not respond to him,” said the police , who through call data records, found out that she was located at an isolated location near the beach.

One of the investigating officers said initially she did not tell anything and later when they took her in confidence, the girl revealed her ordeal.

“She said that at around 8 pm on Friday, she, along with her male friend, had gone to an unoccupied bungalow near a beach,” said an officer. Two of his friends were already there and they were consuming alcohol, the police said.

“Suddenly, the three forced themselves on her and took turns to rape her. The three confined her inside the bungalow following which they called two other friends, who also reached there and sexually assaulted her,” said a police officer.

Early on Saturday morning, three other men went to the bungalow and raped her, added another officer.

The police said they then recorded the statement of the girl, following which they traced and arrested the eight accused, who were booked under charges of gangrape, procuration of minor girl and wrongful restraint.

“We have registered a case of gang rape under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children under Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. They were produced in court and remanded in police custody,” said a senior police officer.