Seven arrested for gangrape of teenager in Nalanda

Police said the girl underwent a medical test and recorded her statement before a judicial magistrate. She is back with her family, they said. The district administration is in touch with her family to provide counselling, officials said.

Videos of the incident show the girl addressing the accused as “brother” and pleading with them to let her go. One clip shows one of the accused threatening to kill her and “make the video viral” if she resists. Another shows her friend, who has been identified as a local guide, trying unsuccessfully to save her and being assaulted.

Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey told The Indian Express: “All the seven accused have been identified and arrested. The chargesheet is likely to be submitted within a week. We expect a speedy trial and conviction within three months. I will be meeting the victim and her family members.”

An officer at the local police station said the accused were identified during investigations based on the video clips. “All of them are local residents, some are school dropouts,” the officer said.

Asked if the accused were minors, the officer said it was up to the court to decide after verifying their birth certificates. The accused have been booked for rape and criminal intimidation under sections of the IPC and provisions of the POCSO Act.

Editor’s note: In accordance with a Supreme Court order, any information that could lead to the identification of a victim of rape and/or sexual assault, or a child in conflict with the law, cannot be disclosed or revealed in any manner.