The incident took place around 4.15 am on Monday near Bhigwan on the highway in Daund area when the car in which the victims were travelling halted after the driver wanted to answer nature's call, a police official said
The duo fled the spot on their motorcycle, after which the traumatised car occupants gathered strength and approached the police. Representational Pic
In a shocking incident, a 17-year-old girl travelling to Pandharpur was allegedly sexually assaulted while three other women occupants of the car she was travelling in were robbed of gold jewellery by two motorbike-borne unidentified persons on a highway in Maharashtra's Pune district, police said.
The incident took place around 4.15 am on Monday near Bhigwan on the highway in Daund area when the car in which the survivor and the women were travelling halted after the driver went to answer nature's call, a police officer said, according to news agency PTI.
There were seven people in the car: the driver, aged 70; the three women, two 17-year-old boys, and the 17-year-old girl.
They belonged to two different families from a village in Junnar tehsil of Pune district and were on their way to Pandharpur temple town in neighbouring Solapur district, the officer said, according to PTI.
"As the driver felt sleepy, he halted the car near a tea stall. When the driver stepped out to answer nature's call, two unidentified men approached the vehicle and threatened the occupants with sharp weapons and robbed gold jewellery. One of the accused then took the minor girl out of the car and sexually assaulted her," the officer said.
The duo then fled the spot on their motorcycle after which the traumatised car occupants gathered strength and informed police about the incident, he added.
The 73-year-old owner of the tea stall, where the car passengers had stopped, witnessed the incident. However, owing to his old age, he was not able to provide all the relevant details, the officer said.
"A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Eight teams have been formed to trace and nab the accused," Pune (Rural) Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill said, according to PTI.
Mumbai Police arrest five for sexually assaulting 12-year-old girl in city
Earlier in a similar incident in March, the Mumbai Police had arrested five people for allegedly sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in the western suburbs of the city, the officials said on Thursday, reported the PTI.
The victim had left her home following an argument, an official said on Thursday.
The Government Railway Police (GRP) found the girl alone at Dadar Railway Station in the early hours of February 27. Initially, the girl remained silent, prompting the GRP to launch an extensive search for her family, the official said, according to the PTI.
(With PTI inputs)
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