Teen Girl Raped, 9-Year-Old Niece Molested At Knifepoint After 3 Men Break Into Home

A 16-year-old girl was allegedly raped and her 9-year-old niece was sexually assaulted at knifepoint after three men broke into a house in India.

The victims were alone at the residence when the incident took place, according to authorities.

Three suspects, identified as Deepak Lodhi, 19, Shaitan Lodhi, 19 and Leelakishan Lodhi were arrested in connection with the alleged abuse, police said as per The Times of India.

The incident took place on Sept. 12 while the girl, who hails from the Raisen district in the northern Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, was staying at her sister's home in Bhopal, a city that's around 40 kilometers away from where she originally belongs. She was there to help out since her sibling was sick.

On that day, the teen girl's sister was reportedly admitted to a hospital so she and her 9-year-old niece were left alone at the residence. It was then that the suspects knocked on the door of the house, asking for the teen's brother-in-law. The men then forced their way into the home by threatening the girl with a knife.

According to the police complaint, both Deepak and Shaitan sexually assaulted the girls while Leelakishan recorded the abuse on a mobile phone. They also threatened the victims not to reveal the incident to anyone and left the house.

However, the incident came to light when the teen girl returned to her parents the following day. She shared details of her ordeal with them and they registered a complaint. This prompted the police to conduct an investigation, reported News 18.

The suspects lived in the same neighborhood as that of the victim's sister, Ramesh Rai, a senior investigating officer said, adding the police have already registered a case against the three men on relevant charges of child sexual abuse.

In July, a 15-year-old girl from Muzaffarnagar, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, was allegedly raped by four teens who forced their way into her house. The incident occurred while her parents were away to attend a family function and she was left alone at the house with her younger brother. The suspects reportedly held the 12-year-old boy at gunpoint while they sexually abused his sister.