Police in Uttar Pradesh arrested two people on Tuesday in connection with a viral video clip that purportedly showed a group of young men harassing and molesting a girl in a rural area in Jhansi district, PTI reported.
Police are searching for some others involved in the incident.
“A video from Jhansi went viral on the social media,” Director General of Police OP Singh said. “The video is old and no complaint was filed in this regard. However, taking cognisance of media reports, prompt action was taken and two persons arrested today [Tuesday].” The girl, who the police traced later, is reportedly 16 years old.
A police inquiry found that the incident occurred on July 12 when a man from Chirgaon area in Jhansi allegedly abducted the girl and took her to a secluded area, reported The Indian Express.
The girl told police that after abducting her, the man, Kishan, took her on his bike to Sultanpura village, where he had called two friends, SP (Rural) Kuldeep Narain said. “They dragged her towards the thickets,” he said. “Hearing her screams, four more boys who were passing by came over and instead of rescuing her, they started filming the act. They fled after some locals came to her rescue.”
Kishan has identified other accused, police said. A First Information Report was filed under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including kidnapping and criminal intimidation and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
“There were six boys,” the girl told NDTV. “I have seen one of the boys earlier. I think they would have sexually assaulted me. But I was screaming, so perhaps that stopped them. One of the boys said there will be a panchayat.”
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