Pune (Maharashtra), September 11: In one of the most shocking and horrible acts of crime against women in recent times has been reported from Pune where 14 men accused of abducting and raping a 14-year-old minor for over five days repeatedly, their accomplices and an acquaintance of the girl have been arrested.

The accused have been booked by the Wanwadi police station, and the case of gang-rape against the minor has been recorded under various sections of IPC and POCSO Act.

In a statement, DCP Namrata Patil told that the victim's father had registered a missing complaint of her minor daughter on August 31 at the Wanwadi police station. The girl, a 7th standard student, had gone to the railway station to wait for a friend. While at the station an auto-rickshaw driver befriended her. When her friend did not turn up, the auto-rickshaw driver offered her a secure place to stay, but sensing an opportunity took her to a house, where he and his associates forced upon her and took turns in raping her repeatedly.

The victim in her statement after being enquired by police said at least eight people took turns to physically exploit her over the next five days. Six of the eight main accused are auto-rickshaw drivers while two are class IV employees in the railways.

The CCTV footage of the railway station was used to identify the accused.

The acquaintance is the same person with whom the survivor travelled to Chandigarh after being released by the perpetrators. The acquaintance was placed under arrest for taking the girl with him to Chandigarh in spite of being aware of the fact that she was a minor.

The other five persons arrested are accomplices and have been remanded to police custody.

“We have arrested five accomplices of the eight perpetrators arrested earlier. We have also arrested a 20-year-old acquaintance of the girl with whom she had travelled to Chandigarh after being released by the other accused.” A senior inspector, from the police station where the rape case has been registered said.

Another officer, who is part of the case, said, “We are investigating the possibility of all 13 had sexually exploited the girl at some point of time… we are now trying to exactly establish the sequence of events and how the girl was taken to different places. The arrested accused will also be taken to these places to affirm the timeline that we know as of now. The girl was raped in multiple secluded locations, places with a tree cover or inside a lodge, and even in two auto-rickshaws and on the premises of an office of the Indian Railways. We are examining these locations to build our case.”

Wanwadi police said the victim is undergoing treatment and her condition is now stable.

After being informed of their involvement, the Railways administration in Pune had suspended the two employees on Monday. A case in the offence has been registered under IPC sections 363 (kidnapping), 376DA (gang rape of woman under 16 years of age), 377 (unnatural offences) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a press statement issued by the Pune district information officer quoted “The incident of rape of the minor girl in Pune is infuriating and shameful. The police have taken steps to arrest all perpetrators and the state government will make sure that they receive the maximum possible punishment. Police have been given directions to make sure that such incidents do not happen again. As the suspects in the case include Railway employees, the state will contact the Union Railway Ministry to take necessary steps.”