SHILLONG: Meghalaya police have apprehended at least nine individuals in connection with alleged gang rape of two minors at the annual Chenga Benga Mela in the South West Garo Hills (SWGH) district of the state on April 16.
SP of South West Garo Hills district in Meghalaya, Vikash Kumar, confirmed the arrests in a statement, stating, “A cognisable case has been registered and is under investigation, based on information pertaining to the alleged abduction, criminal intimidation, assault, and gang rape of minors at Chenga Benga Mela on April 16.”
The statement said, “Incriminating evidence was collected from the crime scene, and the arrests were made based on the survivors’ statements, medical examination reports, and other evidence.”
All the detained suspects are reported to be residents of Teporpara village in Assam, situated near the site of the incident.
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Earlier, on Sunday (April 28), a delegation from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), led by the commission’s chairperson Priyank Kanoongo, met with the family members of the two minor girls allegedly subjected to the assault.
Kanoongo expressed concern that suspected Rohingya infiltrators may have been involved in the incident.