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India Gang Rapes: 2 Suspects Arrested Over Hanged Girls

Indian police on Friday arrested two of the suspects who allegedly gang-raped two teenage girls and hanged them from a tree in northern state of … Continue reading India Gang Rapes: 2 Suspects Arrested Over Hanged Girls


indiaIndian police on Friday arrested two of the suspects who allegedly gang-raped two teenage girls and hanged them from a tree in northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The two cousins who were from a low-caste Dalit community, went missing from their village home in Uttar Pradesh’s Budaun district when they went out to go to the toilet on Tuesday evening. The following morning, villagers found the bodies of the two teenagers hanging from a mango tree in a nearby orchard.

Senior Superintendent of Police of Budaun, Atul Saxena, said two suspects had been arrested and the hunt for the third one was still on.

“Three men are accused of rape and murder. Two of them have been arrested. We have sent a force to nab the third accused. The search operation was also carried out last night and we also checked his hideouts but we could not find him,” said Saxena.

The post-mortem report confirmed the two minors were raped and died from the hanging.

The victim’s families say the girls were gang-raped and then hanged by five men from the village. They allege that local police were shielding the attackers as they refused to take action when the girls were first reported missing.

The father of one of the victims demanded an inquiry by federal police Crime Bureau of Investigation.

“The police constable came to my house and informed me that my daughter has been found hanging from a tree. I want the CBI to investigate the case. I do not trust the police,” he said.

Activists say sex crimes against young girls and women are widespread in India, adding that females from poor, marginalised, low-caste communities are often the victims.

Public outrage over the fatal gang rape of a woman in new Delhi in December 2012 pushed the government into passing a tougher new law to punish sex crimes. This includes sentences of up to two years’ jail for police and hospital authorities if they fail to register a complaint or treat a victim.