Police in India are investigating the alleged repeated gang-rape of a 15-year-old girl over a period of nine months.
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A total of 28 men including two juveniles have been arrested by police in Thane city near Mumbai and a special team has been formed to probe the rapes that began in January, senior police officer Dattatraya Karale told reporters.
Police registered the case on Thursday after the girl told a relative about her ordeal on Wednesday.
Karale said the crimes began after her boyfriend raped her and filmed the incident. He and his friends then allegedly used the recording to blackmail her and forced her to have sex with them, he said.
Domestic media reported that the girl had named 33 suspects for the alleged sexual assaults that have led to shock and outrage in India.
Despite tougher laws on sexual assault since the gang rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in New Delhi in December 2012, a high number of such crimes continue to be reported in India.
A total of 28,046 cases of rape were reported in India in 2020, according to government data. Activists say many more rapes go unreported.
Australian Associated Press
