In a statement given to the child welfare committee in India, a 17-year-old girl has claimed that she was raped by 400 men, including her father and two police officers, over the past six months.
The teen girl’s shocking revelation was recorded on Nov.12, days after a case had been registered by the police.
“Four days after registration of the FIR (First Information Report), the victim has alleged that she has been raped by 400 men. We are verifying the claim and will act accordingly,” Beed superintendent of police, R. Raja told the Times of India.
According to local sources, the teen victim, a resident of Aurangabad, a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra, was initially reluctant to file a complaint but later agreed to the same after she went through multiple counseling sessions.
After the victim made her statement, the police began a fresh probe and learned that the teen girl was a victim of human trafficking and that she was forced into the flesh trade.
“The girl was rescued by an NGO (Non-governmental organizations) and brought to us, following which an offense was registered on Nov. 8. So far, six men have been arrested and a minor boy has been detained and sent to a correctional home.” Investigating officer and Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kavita Nerkar said.
According to the police, the minor girl’s father, the man she was married off to, and an alleged pimp were among the six arrested men.
The victim alleged in her statement that she was married off at the age of 13. However, the marriage ended due to her husband’s repeated abuse and differences between the duo.
After the victim ended the relationship, she returned to her parental home, where she stated her father molested her earlier this year.
Traumatized by the abuse, the minor victim fled from the home in May and began living in and around a bus station.
The NGO workers were alerted of the minor and she was eventually rescued, authorities said.
Based on the victim’s statement, the police have registered a case of rape, gang rape, molestation and voluntarily causing hurt, besides invoking sections of the POCSO ( Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.
A further probe is underway, police said.
