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Minor kidnapped, gang-raped in Jharkhand; five men arrested
The accused were booked under relevant sections of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
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The Namkum police in Ranchi have arrested five men for allegedly kidnapping and raping a college student on Sunday night. The 17-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped near the jungles of Kharsidagh and Khunti district border, on Bio-diversity Park Road under Namkum police station limits.
Station officer-in-charge Praveen Kumar said that 17 students of a college in the state capital had gone on two-wheelers to celebrate a birthday party at Remta Dam, a popular picnic destination in Khunti. While the group was returning in the evening, sometime between 6pm and 7pm, six armed men stopped the two-wheeler on which two minor girls were riding pillion with a boy, also a student. Both the girls were forced to go with the men into the jungle area along the road, said Kumar.
The male student who had been with the girls then hurried to the nearest village and appealed for help. According to the police, the villagers immediately launched a manhunt for the criminals, along with the other students. Soon, they spotted two assailants dragging one of the girls. Seeing the villagers, the criminals let go of the girl and fled.
Meanwhile, forces from the police stations of Namkum, Tupudana, Jagannathpur, Dhurwa, and Kharsidagh out-post reached the spot. The police team and the residents found two people — Prem Kachchap and Vikas alias Vikki Nayak — in suspicious circumstances inside the jungle. They were caught and thrashed by the residents. On being questioned, they revealed that they were among the gang members involved in the kidnapping.
After combing the forest area, the other kidnapped girl was found in an unconscious state around 9pm. She was sent to a local hospital, police said.
By Monday evening, three more suspects — Subhash Munda of Charu Lodhma Village, David Horo of Banglatoli village, and Ravi Minj of Jojosereng area — were arrested, said officer Praveen Kumar. He said that the accused had confessed that they had gang-raped the girl. “We’re conducting raids to nab the sixth accused, Manoj alias Mota of Jojosereng,” Kumar added.
He said that the accused were booked under relevant sections of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The medical examination of the victim was conducted on Monday, he added.
