Maharashtra: Duo held for raping two girls from family of migrant labourers

Beed, Jan 1 (PTI) Two men have been arrested for allegedly raping two girls belonging to a family of migrant labourers in Maharashtra’s Beed district, police said on Thursday.

Nearly 15 families from Chhattisgarh have temporarily moved to Majalgaon in the district for the ongoing sugarcane harvesting season.

On December 24, when the girls’ parents were away for work, Ganesh Rajebhau Ghatul, a grocery store owner, and his friend Ashok Bhaskar Pawar, a tractor driver, dragged the teenagers, aged 13 and 14, to a nearby cotton field and raped them.

The accused also threatened to kill the minors if they spoke about the assault. After enduring the trauma for a few days, one of the girls mustered the courage and informed her father about the crime. Subsequently, the second girl also disclosed the assault to her uncle.

The labourers then approached the Majalgaon rural police, resulting in the arrest of Ghatul and Pawar under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the official said.

Both survivors were produced before the Child Welfare Committee on Wednesday. Their families were also given the details of government support initiatives, the official added. PTI COR NR