Four held, five absconding in alleged gang rape of minor in Mumbai's Kandivali East

A case of alleged gang rape of a minor girl has surfaced in Kandivali East, Mumbai. It has been registered within the limits of the Hanuman Nagar police station. Four accused have been arrested, while five more are absconding.

It is alleged that the girl was introduced to some young men through a female friend she knew. The men then raped her. It is also alleged that the accused made an obscene video of the girl and repeatedly sexually exploited her by threatening to circulate it.

The Bajrang Dal and BJP leader Kirit Somaiya have taken a strong stand on the matter. The Bajrang Dal has alleged that it is a case of "love jihad". The organisation has demanded that all the accused be questioned and that stern action be taken against them.

Somaiya said he had spoken to the girl and had also discussed the matter with the police. He appealed to the Chief Minister and the Police Commissioner to hand the investigation to a senior officer. According to Somaiya, this is a case of gang rape, because it cannot be the work of just two people. He demanded that the accused's properties be seized and that a possible larger conspiracy behind the case also be investigated.

Somaiya also said: "These people must have preyed on many girls; there cannot be just four people in this. How many other girls would they have done this to? This is a very big scandal. I feel very bad about the inquiry the two police officers conducted at the start. I am ashamed of these police officers." He thus also questioned the police's initial investigation.