Uttar Pradesh: 16-Year-Old Girl Raped By Eight Men 'As Revenge’ After Her Brother Elopes With Their Relative

Moradabad gangrape case: A 16-year-old girl was allegedly gangraped by eight members of a neighbouring family ‘as revenge’ after her elder brother eloped with their female relative in UP’s Moradabad.

The survivor was reportedly held captive over days and gangraped repeatedly in front of her parents by the missing woman’s father, brothers, and uncles. According to a report, both the families had known each other for years.

*Trigger warning: This article contains certain details that may act as a trigger for some individuals.

On June 28, the girl and her parents were guided to a house near Amroha railway station by their neighbours on pretext of  searching for the missing couple, just a day after the elopement.

There, the minor girl was reportedly raped by the woman's relatives to avenge the actions of her brother. The next day her parents were instructed to leave, warning that the girl would be killed if they tried to reach out to the police. The girl was held hostage till July 4 and was allegedly repeatedly gangraped by the men.

Vidya Sagar Mishra, Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural), revealed that an FIR was registered after the girl came back home and narrated the ordeal. “We will ensure an impartial investigation in this case. We are also searching for the couple and an investigation in that case is also on," he added.

The father of the survivor however claimed that they had lodged a complaint to police on June 29 regarding the same but no action was taken at first by the police.

An FIR has been registered against eight accused men under sections 376-D (gangrape), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) and,  354 (attempt to outrage the modesty of a woman), along with relevant sections of The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Cases of sexual crimes against minors on rise

In June this year, two minor girls were allegedly gangraped in Chhattisgarh while they were attending a wedding. The three accused allegedly took the girls to a nearby forest on pretext of taking them on a ride in a car. A case has been registered against the three men and one of the accused men has been arrested.

In Rewari, six minor boys, aged between 10 and 18 were arrested for alleged gangrape of a 10-year-old girl. As per police, three of the accused boys in the case are extended relatives of the survivor. The incident came to light when a video made by one of the accused boys began circulating, following which the survivor's parents were warned about the incident. Read more on that here.