Hayatnagar gang-rape: 5 minor accused held, POCSO Act invoked

HYDERABAD: Five minor boys, who are accused of gang-rapeing a minor girl in Hayatnagar of Hyderabad, were detained by Rachakonda police on Tuesday. All the five boys, according to the Rachakonda police, are in classes 9 and 10 and the 17-year-old victim is their classmate.

According to the police, the minors were porn addicts and would watch explicit content after school every day. They preyed on the victim's innocence and assaulted her at her house in August 2022 when she was alone. The boys also threatened her against revealing the incident because of which, she did not communicate with her parents about it.

They also filmed their heinous act on a smartphone, the videos of which they shared with other boys several days later. One of the accused assaulted the victim once again 10 days later, this time with another boy, and the sexual assault was again captured on camera.

The victim finally revealed her horror tale to her parents after discovering that the boys had also shared the video with others. The parents immediately lodged a complaint against the boys with the Hayathnagar police.

The Hayathnagar Police launched an investigation and apprehended the five minor boys, referred to in legal parlance as 'Children in Conflict with the Law' (CCL), within 24 hours. A case was registered under the stringent POCSO act at the Hayathnagar police station under the Rachakonda police commissionerate limits.

The minor accused were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board for further action after the victim's medical examination and other procedures.

In an advisory, the Rachakonda police have asked the public not to share any content on the minors' sexual acts in this case. The police also asked the public to notify them if they came across such videos. Anyone who intentionally or unintentionally circulates will be prosecuted under the POCSO Act, Juvenile Justice Act, and IT Act), according to them.