Karnataka: Two minor girls allegedly gangraped by three men in forest; two held

The accused also recorded the crime and used it to blackmail the victims to join them for a trip to Goa.

The Karnataka police arrested three men for of two raping two minor girls in a forest near Belagavi. The incident occurred on January 3, and one of the victims filed a case at the Harugeri police station in Belagavi district ten days later.

A case has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. (Representational image)

According to Indian Express report, the accused have been identified as Abhishek Devanoor, 18, Adil Shah Shabbir, 19, and Koutub Babusab Badiger, 22, who was initially on the run. According to the police, while Balappa and Shabbir were unemployed, Badiger worked as a driver.

The police stated that the 17-year-old victim, a student, had begun communicating with one of the accused, Abhishek, on Instagram, the report added.

On January 3, the accused invited the victim to join him in his car for a drive. The victim agreed and took her friend along. The second accused, Shabbir, joined them later, while the third accused, Badiger, drove the car to isolated forest area and allegedly gang-raped the two girls.

The accused also recorded the crime and used it to blackmail the victims to join them for a trip to Goa, police said. They threatened to make the video public if they refused, the report added.

The victim later filed a case against the accused, following which two of them were arrested.

A case has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

In a similar incident, Bengaluru police arrested a man for allegedly raping and killing a six-year-old girl at Hoysala Nagar in Bengaluru, police said on Tuesday.

Abhishek Kumar, who hails from Bihar and works as a construction labourer, raped the girl in the absence of his parents, PTI reported

According to the report, the police said, the victim's parents are from Nepal and work at the same place. The accused lured the girl and took her to a secluded place where he raped her leading to her death.