6 gangrape teenager on a visit to a shrine in Songadh forest
The 17-year-old girl was raped in bushes near Mataji temple atop Songadh hill where she had gone with her boy-friend and aunt.
A 17-year-old girl was gang-raped by six persons in a forest at Songadh hill in Tapi district, on Monday evening. The victim had gone to visit the temple located atop the hill, with her boyfriend and her aunt. The culprits first forced the girl into the bushes and later raped her. Cops have arrested one of the rapists and initiated a hunt for the remaining five.
Sapna (name changed), a resident of Vyara, had gone to Songadh to meet her aunt. In the afternoon, Sapna and her aunt decided to visit Mataji temple. She also asked her boyfriend Shailesh Vasawa, to accompany them. While the three were returning after visiting the temple, a group of six people passed foul remarks at Sapna.
This resulted in a heated argument among the two parties and the six attacked Sapna and the other two. They first thrashed Shailesh and Sapna's aunt. Later two of them took Shailesh into the forest.
The other four took Sapna into forest and later raped her. They gagged Sapna to prevent her from screaming. The others thrashed Shailesh again and left him at the spot. The accused later went to the spot where Sapna was lying and repeatedly raped her. Leaving Sapna groaning in pain, the six fled from the spot.
Meanwhile Shailesh and Sapna's aunt regained consciousness and the former immediately informed his friends and family members, who rushed to Songadh hill. Sapna somehow managed to remove the cloth from her mouth and screamed and on hearing her people rushed to the spot and took her to a nearby clinic for treatment. However Shailesh and his friends were able to nab one of the rapists while he was trying to flee the place. He is identified as Ramesh Gamit, 46, a resident of Gunda village in Songadh taluka. People thrashed Gamit and later handed him over to the police.
“We have formed four teams to track the remaining rapists. They will be arrested soon," said KV Rajvir, PSI of Songadh police station.
Sapna was taken to a government hospital for medical examination. Songadh police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.