Teenage girl raped in Chhattisgarh; two held

A 17-year-old girl attending a marriage was allegedly raped by two persons, including her relative, at a secluded spot near the venue of the function in Chhattisgarh's Durg district after they lured her into taking a ride in an SUV, police said today.

The incident comes three days after a minor was allegedly raped and killed in Kabirdham district of the state.

Both the accused, identified as Bhuneshwar Nishad and SUV driver Trilochan Janghel, have been arrested, a senior police officer said.

Durg Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Shukla said that accused Nishad is related to the victim from the side of her paternal aunt.

"The girl, who hails from Chhuikhadan area in Rajnandgaon district, had arrived along with the 'barat' for marriage of her relative in Durg on Saturday," he said.

Shukla said Nishad allegedly lured the teenage from the wedding venue with the promise of a ride in the SUV, driven by Janghel.

"They took the girl to a secluded road in Nagpura area under Pulgaon police station limits where Nishad and the driver allegedly raped her," the SP said.

The spot of the incident is located around 6 kms away from the venue of the marriage.

He said the duo threatened the girl with dire consequence if she discloses the incident before fleeing the spot.

The victim was given lift by a passenger bus driver who had stopped the vehicle after noticing some suspicious activities near the spot of the incident, the SP said.

The girl reached the police station and informed about the incident, he said, adding that Nishad and Janghel were arrested from separate places.

They were booked under sections 376 (punishment for rape) and 294 (obscene acts and songs) of the IPC and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said.

On April 18 night, an 11-year-old girl was allegedly raped and killed by a man at the venue of a wedding in Podhi village in Kabirdham district. One person was arrested in connection with this incident.