Tribal girl gangraped in Jharkhand, 16 arrested

DUMKA (INDIA): A tribal girl was allegedly raped by at least six men when she was taking a stroll with her boyfriend near a university campus in Jharkhand’s Dumka and 16 persons have been arrested in this connection, a police officer said today.nnAccording to the police, the men first demanded Rs 5,100 and a mobile phone from her as a “penalty” because her friend was a “non-tribal” and then allegedly forced the girl and her boyfriend to strip and have sex in front of them, before taking turns to rape her.nnDumka Superintendent of Police Mayur Patel said 16 people have been arrested on the basis of inputs given by the girl and her friend.nnThe girl and her boyfriend were returning after taking a stroll near the Sidhu Kanhu Murmu University campus at Dighi eight km from here when a group of men intercepted them at the crossing of Ring Road and Dighi Road on Wednesday evening.nnThe men demanded Rs 4,000 and a mobile phone from her as a penalty for roaming with a non-tribal. Her boyfriend refused to hand over the mobile and assured them of giving them the money if he was permitted to call his friend.nnBut the culprits snatched her mobile phone and instead asked their friends to come to the spot, the police said.nnThe accused then allegedly forced the girl and her boyfriend to have sex in front of them at knifepoint by the side of the road. They then allegedly took turns to rape the girl, the police said.nnAfter the crime, the accused forced the girl to wash herself in a nearby pond and handed her over to her boyfriend without her clothes, the police said.nnThe girl and her friend contacted their friends and relatives and reached Muffassil police station at around 11.30 pm that night and lodged a gangrape case, the police said.nnThe girl was sent to Sadar Hospital, where her condition was stated to be ‘out of danger’, the police said.nnHer statement was recorded in camera in the presence of a lady magistrate under section 164 Crpc on the directive of Dumka SDO Jai Prakash Jha.nnWhile the girl is a native of Dumka, her friend is employed in Kolkata.nnSearch is on for one more accused, the SP, said adding a named FIR has been filed against against eight persons and several unknown persons.nnSource: Press Trust of India