16-year-old boy ‘raped’ for a year, names 15 teens

A 16-year-old boy living in Andheri was allegedly raped by 15 boys over the past one year. In his complaint to the police, the victim said he finally confided in a friend when he felt “unbearable pain” two days ago after the last assault on June 26. The police have booked all 15 accused and detained seven of them. The police said the school boy was also blackmailed and physically assaulted, and that a medical examination had confirmed the sexual assault.

According to the police, the boy was first raped in 2016 by a friend who lived next door. A police officer said the alleged rapist shot a video of the act on his cellphone and showed it to his other friends. “The victim was very scared and did not tell his family about the abuse,” said the officer. The police said the neighbour started blackmailing the victim and forced him to have sex with others, threatening to make the video public if he did not comply. “The accused boys took the victim to a playground outside a municipal school in the area and raped him one by one,” added the officer. Over the past two months, however, one of the boys had been demanding Rs 1,100 from the victim to eat in a restaurant. The victim refused to pay up as he did not have the money. “After that, the boys took him to an isolated corner on June 26 and raped him once more,” said the officer.

According to the victim’s complaint, the 15 boys allegedly raped him on four other occasions — the last of which was two weeks ago, the police said. “Whenever I tried to resist, they would hit me,” the boy has said in his complaint. On Monday, the police said the boy complained of severe pain as a result of repeated sexual assault and confided in a friend, who then alerted an acquaintance, a 31-year-old man working as a construction site supervisor. He took the victim to the local police station.

A medical examination of the boy was conducted at the Cooper Hospital and the police said it confirmed the sexual assault. The boy was then allowed to go home. The police have booked the 15 boys, all between 15 and 17 years, charging them with unnatural sex and common intention under the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Sources said the victim’s complaint was being verified.

Seven boys were detained and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board that has remanded them in custody of the Dongri Children’s Home. The police are verifying the names and addresses of the other boys. Mumbai Police spokesperson Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) Rashmi Karandikar said investigations were on