15-year-old gang-raped in Mumbai suburb

A 15-year-old was allegedly gang-raped by two unidentified men, after they tied her 16-year-old male friend to a mango tree behind a school in Mumbai’s Virar suburb on Monday night.

No arrest had been made till the time of going to press on Wednesday.

The teenager, police said, had stepped out of her house around 8 pm to meet a cousin.

On the way, she met her friend, a Class 10 student, who offered to escort her to the relative’s house.

While they were passing by a school in the area, two men accosted them and dragged both to an isolated spot, where they punched the boy and tied him to a tree.

“They raped the girl in front of the boy. They threatened them of dire consequences if they reported the incident to the police,” said Renuka Bagde, deputy superintendent of police, Virar.

The teenager broke down in front of her father on Wednesday morning, after which a police complaint was lodged.

“We have registered a case under sections 376(D) (gang-rape), 323(causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and also sections 4, 6 of POCSO Act,” said Bagde.

“The girl was sent for medical tests, which have confirmed rape. She is in a state of shock. We will take help of her friend to identify the accused.”