Four men gang-rape 14-year-old girl in Madhya Pradesh forest; two held: Police

Two men were arrested for allegedly gang-raping a 14-year-old girl in a forest area of Madhya Pradesh’s Mauganj district

Published on: Feb 6, 2026, 19:57:22 IST

By Shruti Tomar

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Bhopal: Two men were arrested for allegedly gang-raping a 14-year-old girl in a forest area of Madhya Pradesh’s Mauganj district, while two other accused remain absconding, police said on Friday.

Mauganj superintendent of police (SP) Dilip Soni said, “The girl was later found unconscious in the forest after the accused abandoned her.” (Representative photo)

The two men arrested have been identified as Betu Jaiswal (24), a resident of Baria Kala in Mauganj, and Ravinandan Singh Gaud (22) from Paigma village in Sidhi district.

Police said Jaiswal, who knew the girl, intercepted her while she was on her way to school with a friend to sit for a Class 8 pre-board examination.

“Jaiswal offered to drop them on his bike. While he dropped the friend on the roadside, he took the survivor into the forest, where three other men were waiting. The accused allegedly drugged her and raped her,” an officer said.

Mauganj superintendent of police (SP) Dilip Soni said, “The girl was later found unconscious in the forest after the accused abandoned her.”

“When the girl did not return home by evening, her family started searching for her. Her friend informed them that Jaiswal had taken her into the forest. The family rushed to the spot and found the girl in a distressed condition. She was taken to the civil hospital,” he added.

The survivor gave her statement to the police on Friday. “Based on her statement, police arrested Jaiswal and Gaud, while two other accused remain absconding,” SP Soni said.

An FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.