17-year-old girl gang-raped in Bengaluru lodge; four arrested

A 17-year-old girl was abducted and gang-raped by four men for 10 days at a lodge in Whitefield.

The Whitefield division police rescued the girl on November 4 and have arrested the four men.

The arrested are Raghavendra (26), native of Udupi, and his friends Manoranjan Das (52) from West Bengal, who was running the lodge on lease, Sagar (22) from Davangere and Manju Raj (32) from Mysuru, the police revealed.

According to police, prime accused Raghavendra had recently befriended the victim, a PU girl student. He took the girl to the lodge on October 26, the police said.

The victim, however, in her complaint stated that she was waiting at Kadugodi railway station for a female friend to attend a party. Two men turned up claiming they were sent by her friend to take her to the party. The victim accompanied the duo to the Classic Inn lodge.

The girl was then sexually assaulted by Raghavendra followed by his friends Das, Sagar and Raj. The accused kept the victim locked in one of the rooms for 10 days, the police said.

Victim's father lodged a missing complaint on Oct 30 at the K R Puram police station. The Whitefield division police based on a tip-off traced her to the lodge and rescued her.

"Since the victim is a minor, even if she had gone with Raghavendra with her consent, it amounts to kidnap and sexual assault under POCSO Act," said Abdul Ahad, Deputy Commissioner of Police.