Mumbai (Maharashtra), September 23: Maharashtra police today said revealing details of a horrific crime, that a 15-year-old minor girl was gang-raped by 29 people, including two minors, over the course of nine months in Mumbai’s suburb Dombivli. In January, the girl's boyfriend had allegedly raped her and shot a video, which was eventually used by the other accused - his friends - to blackmail and gang-rape her on multiple occasions.

"It all started when the lover of the girl raped her in January and made a video of the incident. He started blackmailing her on the basis of that video. Later on, his friends and acquaintances gang-raped her at least on four to five occasions at different places, including Dombivli, Badlapur, Murbad and Rabale in the district," said Dattatray Karale the Additional Commissioner of Police (East region).

Based on the victim’s complaint, 24 accused have been arrested and two boys detained, ACP Karale said. Most of the arrested accused are also said to be associated with a particular political party, the police said.

Police have registered a case last night against unidentified persons under relevant Sections of the Indian Penal Code for rape, repeated rape, gang-rape, and "rape on a woman under sixteen years of age" and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, an official said.