GURUGRAM: On May 24, a group of children playing together at a ground in Rewari disappeared after a while into an adjoining school building.
There, seven boys raped a 10-year-old girl – a crime that came to light only this week after a video of the incident, allegedly shot and shared by one or more of the boys, circled back to the area and reached a neighbour, who alerted the girl’s family.
An FIR was registered on Wednesday after the girl’s father filed a complaint.
DSP (HQ) Rewari, Hansraj, said the case was filed at the women’s police station under sections 376D (gang rape), 354C (voyeurism) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the Information Technology Act and the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Act against all seven accused.
One of the alleged rapists is an adult (18).
The others are not even in their teens, aged between 10 and 12.
“We filed the case soon after the matter was brought to our notice and apprehended the accused.
The accused and the child live in the same neighbourhood,” said Hansraj, adding neighbours identified the boys after seeing the video.
So far, six of the boys have been taken into custody – the 18-year-old among them.
Police said the minors were taken to the Juvenile Justice Board and sent to a correction home while the 18-year-old was produced before court and sent to the district jail.
Police are looking for the other minor seen in the video and also collecting details of those who shared the video.
“We are trying to identify and nab the persons who shared the video,” said the DSP, adding sharing such videos is a criminal offence as well.
The girl’s family and the boys who sexually assaulted her live in a Rewari village and know each other.
The school building is right next to the ground they play in.
The building was empty because physical classes are suspended because of the pandemic.
Police said none of the kids spoke about the sexual assault.
The girl didn’t share her trauma with her family and the boys went about their days as usual, even emboldened to share the video.
On Tuesday (June 8), the video landed on a neighbour’s phone.
He informed the girl’s father.
Police said they had taken the child for a medical examination, which confirmed she was sexually assaulted.
Of the seven accused, three minors are members of the girl’s extended family, the DSP said.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)