Six people, including three boys, have been arrested in Andhra Pradesh’s Ongole town for allegedly locking up a 16-year-old girl and raping her for five days, PTI reported on Sunday. The accused were arrested from different parts of the state, and the boys have been sent to a juvenile home, said the police.
Superintendent of Police Siddharth Kaushal told reporters that three of the accused – 20-year-old Sk Baji, 23-year-old R Srikanth and 19-year-old P Mahesh – were arrested in less than 24 hours after the incident came to light on Saturday, reported The Hindu.
On June 17, the girl met one of the accused at the RTC bus station in the town. She went with him to his room, where she was gang raped for five days, Kaushal said. The girl managed to escape and reached the bus station on Saturday evening. A home guard and an assistant sub-inspector spotted and rescued her. The girl has been admitted to a government hospital for treatment and is said to be in a stable condition.
The accused have been charged under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and Sections 343 (wrongful confinement) and 376D (gang rape) of the Indian Penal Code.
Meanwhile, Ongole MLA and Power Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy said the YSR Congress Party government would take stringent action against the accused, and take steps to prevent such incidents. “This is a heinous crime and we will take deterrent steps to ensure such incidents do not recur,” said Home Minister M Sucharitha.
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