A minor teen girl was brutally assaulted and gangraped by two youths in a village in Bareilly on Sunday evening. The incident occurred when the girl had stepped out to relieve herself. The family of the victim alleged that the girl was gagged with a cloth before being raped, in a bid to silence her.

Fortunately, a passerby who happened to stay in the same village had witnessed the act and informed the family of the same, The Times of India reported. The girl’s parents rushed to the spot and were aghast at what they saw. The armed assailants threatened to pull the trigger if they were pursued and fled the scene.

The station house officer of Gunnaur police station added that the FIR was under section 376D (punishment for gang-rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and appropriate sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. While one of the men involved was nabbed, the other continues to be in the hiding.

Sambhal additional superintendent of police (ASP) Alok Kumar Jaiswal addressed the issue and maintained that a medical examination was being conducted to gauge the gravity of the injuries inflicted on the girl. Jaiswal averred that further legal action was underway.

Uttar Pradesh has witnessed a spike in domestic crimes, and sexual offences against minors. A 15-year-old girl was gangraped by four minors in Muzaffarnagar district's Jogiakhera village. The victim’s brother was allegedly held hostage at gunpoint while the heinous act was carried out, Hindustan Times reported.

According to the police’s version, accused minors allegedly entered the victim’s house through the roof on Friday night, where the victim and her brother were both alone. They went on with raping the girl, and recorded the act, threatening to leak the video if she had approached the police. The girl however didn’t keep mum and informed her family who filed a complaint. The FIR was filed on the grounds of the Indian Penal Code Section 376d (punishment for rape) and the relevant sections of the POCSO Act.

A detailed investigation has been launched, with the likeliness of additional sections being added after probing into circumstantial evidence.

A representational image of a girl.
A representational image of a girl. Foundry/Pixabay