In yet another case of abuse against women in India, a minor girl was allegedly gangraped by three men when she had gone out of her house to relieve herself.

The incident took place in a village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The police launched an investigation after a case was filed by the locals, following which the three men were arrested under various sections of Indian Penal Code, according to local daily Live Hindustan [Google Translation showed]. All three accused in the case were currently in police custody.

The girl was later sent for a medical examination, local media reported Thursday. The three accused had reportedly dragged the girl to a field where they raped her. After committing the crime, the accused abandoned the girl in a nearby jungle and fled the scene. The incident came to light when the girl somehow managed to reach home and narrated her ordeal to her parents, Times Now reported.

A senior police officer, identified as Rajaram Choudhary, rushed to the scene and initiated a probe.

"We have filed a case based on a complaint from the victim at Baldirai police station. All three accused are in police custody. We have sent the girl for medical examination and a probe is underway in the case. we will work to get strict punishment for the accused," Dr Vipin Mishra, another police officer, told the local media.

Over the last few years, several strict laws have been imposed in the country and fast track courts have been set up to hear rape cases. However, the rape cases in India have increased, with many of the victims being minors. India recorded 88 rape cases every day in 2019, according to a National Crime Records Bureau report released last year.

On Wednesday, the police in the state of Haryana arrested a 22-year-old accused of raping a 7-year-old girl. The authorities said the girl was raped and strangled to death by her neighbor. The girl's body was later found dumped in a pit. The victim's parents were not at home when the accused entered her house and assaulted her.

Indians have protested a series of gang-rape and murders of young women
Indians have protested a series of gang-rape and murders of young women AFP / Punit PARANJPE