16-year-old gang-raped in Assam by friend and accomplices, three arrested

Three persons have been arrested for allegedly gang-raping a 16-year-old girl in Assam’s Goalpara district while one more accused is absconding, police said Saturday.

The victim was allegedly raped on Thursday by four people including her close friend, who lured her to come to Goalpara with him, police said.

“This close friend, who has been living with the victim in Boko in Kamrup district brought her to Goalpara,” said Amitava Sinha, superintendent of police, Goalpara.

The two grew close when they worked together in Guwahati and the youth told the girl that he is from Goalpara even though he belongs to Barpeta, another district in lower Assam, police said. “She was brought to Goalpara in a pre-planned manner,” Sinha said.

In Goalpara, the two were received by Abdul Latif, known to the victim’s friend who took them to his cousin Saidul Islam’s house in a village. The four were later joined by another person, identified as Mustafa Ali.

“After consuming alcohol in the house in the evening, the four took her to a nearby jungle and raped her,” Sinha said. The girl was spotted by the villagers who informed the police, he added. “She told the police about the incident,” he said.

The three people arrested in the case include the victim’s friend, Latif and Ali, even as Islam continues to be on the run. They have been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, Sinha said.

The victim, who lives with her brother in Boko, is undergoing treatment.

First Published: Aug 25, 2018 15:23 IST