Afraid that her father would reprimand her for coming home late, a 17-year-old girl alleged that she had been gangraped when she was actually out with her boyfriend.

On Wednesday night, the Trombay residents and her parents approached the local police. The girl, who is hearing and vision-impaired, used sign language to allege that she had been picked by two unidentified persons and taken to a public toilet near her house, where she was raped for three hours, the police said.

The girl’s accusation set off a series of emphatic reactions. On hearing the news, irate residents quickly gathered at the police station demanding arrests.

Already on high alert after the nationwide outrage over crimes against women, the police rapidly registered a case and formed a team to arrest the “culprits.” The girl was rushed to Rajawadi hospital for a medical examination.

The hospital report, however, revealed no signs of forced sex or injury marks.

Later in the day, she confessed that she had actually gone to her boyfriend’s house.

“The girl’s father was furious when she came back late, so she panicked and told them she had been raped,” said an official.

As an FIR had already been filed, the police will record the girl’s statement in front of a magistrate to close the case.

“Investigations revealed that the girl had faked the entire incident,” said Quaiser Khaleed, additional commissioner of police (East region).