Mauganj (Madhya Pradesh): A 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by her cousin's husband and his friend in an ambulance in Madhya Pradesh's Mauganj. The horrific act was executed in front of her uncle's presence, who is currently absconding.

Two of the accused, including the ambulance driver, have been arrested on November 27.

The incident took place on November 22 in the Hanumana police station area.

The minor filed an FIR against 4 people on November 25. These include the maternal uncle, his daughter, son-in-law, and the ambulance driver.

On November 27, the brother-in-law and the ambulance driver were arrested. Meanwhile, the search for the uncle and his daughter is on.

According to the police, on November 22, the driver of Janani Express, Pandit, received a call to pick up a patient from Lasa village in the Hanumana police station area. When Pandit left out in his ambulance, his friend and his wife (the victim's cousin) accompanied him as her maternal home is in Lasa village.

Victim Says...

The victim, in her FIR, described that on the evening of November 22, her maternal uncle's younger daughter came to her and invited her to her house. The victim agreed. They all left in the ambulance, in which the victim's maternal uncle, his elder daughter, her husband, and the driver Pandit were already seated.

The victim and her sister sat in the back seat, while her maternal uncle and his son-in-law took the front seat. After travelling a short distance, her sister got down on the pretext of fetching water. It was then that her husband came to the back seat and sat next to the victim.

The ambulance driver drove the vehicle towards a hilly area. During the night, the cousin's husband and the driver allegedly raped her three times in presence of her uncle. Around 5 AM, the three left her near her home and drove away. She told her mother about the incident, but she asked her to stay silent due to fear of societal shame. Angry, the girl went to the police station on November 25 and filed an FIR.

Main Accused & Driver Arrested, Search For Two Others Ongoing

Hanumana Police Station in-charge, Anil Kakde, stated that based on the victim’s complaint, a case was registered and both the accused were arrested. Efforts are underway to trace victim's absconding maternal uncle and his daughter who laid the trap.

The ambulance used has been seized by the police.

The ambulance, also known as '108-Ambulance', is part of a state government initiative under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, providing emergency transportation services to pregnant women, sick infants, and BPL families in rural areas of Madhya Pradesh.