5-year-old playing outside home kidnapped and gang-raped; 3rd child rape in MP in a week

BHOPAL: A five-year-old girl was gang-raped by two men in Madhya Pradesh's Harda district on Sunday. She lay injured and unconscious all night till a search party found her the next morning. This is the third child rape in the state in a week.

The minor, who is yet to regain consciousness, is in a hospital in Bhopal. One of the suspects was arrested while a manhunt was launched to trace the other, police said.

The girl had been playing outside her home when she was kidnapped. When family members couldn't find her anywhere, they dialled 100 to report her missing and even named two men as suspects. Police immediately filed a case, sent teams to the village and began investigations.

Based on medical opinion, the two suspects earlier booked for abduction were also booked for gang rape and other sections under the Pocso Act. "The survivor is under treatment. She is out of danger," Harda SP Sanjeev Kumar Kanchan said.
The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault