Six men including an 80-year-old accused of raping teenage girl for months

A 16-year-old girl from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has alleged that she was raped by at least six men, including an 80-year-old man, for the last six months.

The victim, whose name has not been revealed due to legal reasons, told police that first a man from her village, identified as Bhura Rajak, raped her some six months ago. But as she kept mum fearing social stigma, another person identified as Vachan Rajak raped her. He also threatened her to keep her mouth shut otherwise he would tell everyone that she was a rape victim, The Times of India reported.

In her complaint, the girl said Bhura and Vachan kept raping her and after that four other men – named Sukhdev Tiwari, Sonu, Rajkumar and Ravi Rajak – also joined them in the assault, forcing her to be silent with threats of shaming her and her family in public.

Local media reports stated that the alleged sexual assault came to light after the girl became pregnant and confided in her parents, who stood with her and informed the police.

Soon after the filing of the complaint, police charged all the accused with criminal intimidation and rape, and arrested five of them, who seemed to be from the same family. But authorities failed to catch the octogenarian, Sukhdev, who is on the run since Wednesday, 21 February.

Blood samples of all the arrested have been taken and sent for DNA tests. The five men were also produced in court and sent to jail.

The latest incident comes on the heels of another shocking case in India's West Bengal state on 18 February, where a mentally unstable tribal woman was brutally gang-raped and had metal objects inserted into her private parts.

The 30-year-old victim was found under a bridge by some locals who later informed authorities. A man was reportedly arrested in connection with the incident.