Police on Tuesday confirmed the rape of a minor girl by three Indian army men in a moving train in eastern state of West Bengal. One of the suspects was arrested, while two are absconding.
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The alleged crime took place in the military compartment of the Howrah-Amritsar Express shortly after the train left Howrah station on Monday.
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The railway police came across the victim while inspecting the train at a station in Jharkhand.
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In her complaint, the 14-year-old girl said she was forced to consume liquor by the accused, who later took turns to rape her.
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A railway police officer, Arjun Tiwari, said one of the suspects was arrested while the search for the other two is still on.
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"I detained a person on the basis of suspicion. When a woman constable enquired the victim, it came to light that two more army personnel raped her one by one. After investigation we got to know the suspects were army personnel and the person I had detained also belonged to army," said Tiwari, in eastern city of Howrah.
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The police handed over the victim to her family.
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"Investigation is underway. The incident took in Howrah, West Bengal. I have handed over the accused to Howrah police and the victim to her family," added Tiwari.
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The victim was taken for medical examination in Deoghar city of Jharkhand. The girl had fled Howrah and was headed to northern Ludhiana city.
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The annual reports by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) said there were 337,922 reports of violence against women such as rape, molestation, abduction and cruelty by husbands in 2014, up 9 percent in 2013.
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The number of rapes in the country also rose by 9 percent to 33,707 in 2014 - with New Delhi reporting 1,813 rapes, making it the city with the highest number of such cases.
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Mumbai and Bengaluru recorded 607 and 103 rapes respectively.The data showed that 86 percent of rapes had been committed by close family members such as fathers, brothers and uncles, as well as neighbours, employers, co-workers and friends.
