15-Year-Old Girl Blackmailed And Raped By Over 30 Men Including Minors For 9 Months Straight

A 15-year-old girl in India has been raped by more than 30 people including two minors for nine months straight after being blackmailed with a sexual assault video, police said.

The unidentified teenager from Thane, a city in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, revealed details regarding her horrific abuse Wednesday. Based on the girl's complaint, the police have arrested 24 men and detained two minors. The victim has been hospitalized and has identified 33 suspects, all in the age group between 16-23 years, The Indian Express reported.

The police are on the lookout for the remaining suspects and have registered a case against the suspects on charges of rape.

According to the criminal complaint, the girl was befriended by one of the accused minors through social media, and he sexually assaulted her in January. The minor boy also reportedly recorded a video of the assault and used it to blackmail the girl.

The girl was then reportedly forced to meet the other suspects who raped her on multiple occasions at various places, police said.

The abuse came to light after the girl shared her ordeal with her aunt.

The girl’s aunt approached a local social worker and they decided to nab the accused by trapping them, The Hindu reported.

Based on her aunt's instructions, the girl arranged to meet one of the accused men Wednesday. The girl was picked up in a vehicle by a few of the suspects while her aunt and the social worker followed the vehicle. However, they lost track of the vehicle in which the victim was traveling and eventually reported it to the police.

The police traced the location of the lodge where the victim was taken and arrested two men from there. However, the girl was sexually assaulted by then and the suspects had fled the scene before the police arrived, police said.

“After learning about the crime from the girl, had the family approached the police, at least the incident of Wednesday could have been avoided,” an officer added.

A special investigation team has been formed for the probe, police said.