Guj: Girl attempts suicide along with friend after being raped

A teenage girl, along with her friend, attempted suicide after she was allegedly raped by the latter's relative near Bodeli in Gujarat's Chhota Udepur district, over 200 kilometres from here, police said Monday.

Police said that the 17-year-old girl and her friend tried to end their lives Thursday by consuming pesticide.

The victim has told Bodeli police that two persons, identified as Sajanbhai Naika and Rohit Naika, approached her and her friend while they were on their way to school last Thursday and persuaded the two girls to accompany them to a temple nearby, an official said.

"While the victim sat on Sajanbhai's two-wheeler, her friend rode pillion on Rohit's motorcycle. En route, while Rohit rode ahead with the friend, Sajanbhai took the victim to an isolated spot out of town and raped her at knife-point," the official said.

The accused dropped the girls to Bodeli where they consumed pesticide out of fear, he added.

The victim and her friend were rushed to Bodeli government hospital from where they were shifted to Vadodara civil hospital in a critical condition, police said.

"At Vadodara civil hospital, the victim gave a statement to police revealing the incident that took place on Thursday and the subsequent sequence of events following which we registered a case yesterday," the official said.

He said that Sajanbhai has been booked for rape and criminal intimidation under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code.

Rohit Naika has been charged under section 114 (abettor present when offence is committed) of the IPC, the official said.

Both the accused are absconding and efforts were on to nab them, the Bodeli police official said.