A group of 50 lawyers thrashed 17 men accused of raping an 11-year-old girl, on Tuesday, July 17. The lawyers beat up the alleged rapists outside the court premises in Chennai despite the presence of heavy police personnel at the time of the incident.
The girl was allegedly gang-raped by at least 22 men for a period of over seven months in Chennai. The incident came to light after the victim told about the incident to her elder sister on Saturday, July 14.
The suspects include security guards, electricians, elevator operators, and plumbers, who worked at the apartment in Purasawalkam. The girl suffered from a hearing disorder, the police said.
The men allegedly raped the minor after forcing her to drink a liquid laced with drugs. They had even taken a video of them sexually assaulting the girl. The suspects blackmailed the girl to remain silent by threatening to release the videos, according to The Times of India report.
"This continued till the girl on Saturday told her older sister, a college student on a visit home from Delhi, about the trauma she was going through. The sister informed their parents, who filed a complaint with the Ayanavaram all women police," a police officer was quoted as saying by TOI.
The girl's father used to be away at work while her mother used to believe that the child was playing downstairs with her friends. The girl was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment on Sunday. After examining her, it was found out that she was raped multiple times by several men.
Following this, the police booked 18 men under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. According to police, the suspects were employed with a security firm called FOCUS in Chennai, the daily reported.
"We have sent seized syringes and an empty soft drink bottle to the forensic laboratory to determine what drugs they used," the police added.
