GUWAHATI: Three youths from Assam's Cachar district have been arrested for allegedly abducting two minor girls from neighbouring Mizoram and sexually assaulting them inside a car, police officials said. The accused are aged between 20 and 25 years.
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Police officials from crime branch in Cachar said that on August 3, around 2:30 AM, two minor girls arrived at the Dholai police station and reported that they had been abducted and raped.
"The victims initially told us that the accused had attempted to rape them. They later stated that they were sexually assaulted despite resisting. Since both claimed to be minors, the case has been registered and is being handled under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice system," a Cachar police official said.
Police said they registered a case under sections 70(2) (gang rape of a female minor under 18 years of age) and 87 (abduction) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, immediately after receiving the complaint.
All three accused were detained and subsequently arrested.
The accused have been identified as Amjad Hussain Laskar (20), a resident of Rajnagar; Saddam Hussain Laskar (23), of Bhaga Bazar; and Rinku Das (25), of Khaspur under Dholai police station.
"We are investigating the matter and the statements of the minor victims have been recorded. We have also produced the accused before the court following initial procedures," a police official said. He added that both victims have been subjected to mandatory medical examinations.
"They are being taken care of under appropriate procedures since they are minors, and we have spoken with their family members," he added.
Police said they are investigating the circumstances under which the two minor girls came into contact with the accused, including how they were allegedly picked up and the sequence of events leading to the incident.
According to the police, the accused claimed they knew the girls through a common business association. However, investigators said this claim is yet to be verified and remains under investigation. Police further stated that the victims are residents of Mizoram's Kolasib district.