8 Men Rape 16-Year-Old Girl 'As Revenge' After Her Brother Elopes With Their Kin

A teen girl has allegedly been held captive and raped by eight members of an "influential" clan "to teach her family a lesson" after the victim's brother eloped with their kin.

The 16-year-old girl from Moradabad in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh was reportedly held hostage by the family and repeatedly raped for a week after her elder brother eloped with their relative on June 27.

The teenager and her parents were taken to a house on June 28 by their "influential neighbors" on the pretext of searching for the missing couple, reported Times of India. However, the missing woman's family had decided to exact revenge on them.

The victim was thrashed and raped by the missing woman's father, brothers and uncles in front of her helpless parents, the criminal complaint said. The teen's parents were also beaten up and told to leave the next day. They were allegedly threatened that the girl would be killed if they dared to approach the police.

The victim endured four more days of assault and was released on July 4. It was then that her parents reported the incident to the police. According to the complaint filed by the victim's father, one of the accused even married his daughter without her consent while she was in their custody.

"Both the families knew each other for several years and their relationship soured after the elder brother of the survivor eloped with the daughter of the accused," Additional Superintendent of Police Vidya Sagar Mishra said.

Police registered a case against the eight accused men under charges of gang rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and an attempt to outrage the modesty of a woman.

"The accused are very influential. They can do the same to other girls in our family. We are very scared and want action against them," the victim's aunt said as per news outlet Times Now News.

"We will ensure an impartial investigation in this case. We are also searching for the couple and an investigation in that case is also on," Mishra added.