MUMBAI: Three more accused were arrested on Friday in the Dombivli gang-rape case, which has evoked strong public rage in Maharashtra While 32 people were booked in the case, 29 have been arrested.
Coming from lower-middle-class families of Dombivli area, the accused were into petty jobs such as contract labourers, courier deliver, milk suppliers, workers in restaurants and housing keeping firms.
They were acquainted with each other since most of them stayed in nearby areas.
“Most of these accused connected with each other through Instagram. First, the girl’s friend followed by his friends sexually exploited the minor by blackmailing her using a video,” said Sachin Gunjal, DCP Thane. Gunjal said that initially as per the girl’s version, the accused invited her to a party where they gave her liquor mixed with soft drink. “Then, they blackmailed and continued to exploit her for eight months. We have arrested the accused under relevant sections of IP and Pocso.”
Another police officer said the mobile phone of these accused were sent for forensic investigations. “The girl had complained that the video was shot by these accused to blackmail her. We have not yet recovered any such video.”
The case came into the limelight when the minor confided to her relative about the continuous sexual abuse. “Then, the relative and a social worker decided to nab all these accused by setting up a trap. They asked the girl to call all these boys at their known locations. The girl called them, and her family followed them but they lost touch with the girl. But she immediately send GPS locations that was instantly shared with police to nab the culprits,” said the officer.