A 13-year-old girl in Kolkata was allegedly drugged and gang-raped before her family was blackmailed with a video of the crime, police have said.
The girl's mother reported the alleged rape to police, telling officers that those accused had taken video of the incident and used it in a bribery attempt.
Abduction and Assault
Local media in India report that the girl's mother identified a friend of her daughter along with a number of others as suspects. Police told Indian media outlet Rediff that the teenager had left her home in the Baguiati neighbourhood of Kolkata to meet a pal in nearby Birati on Saturday, October 24.
A police spokesperson said the girl was allegedly abducted, taken to a hotel in the Hooghly district, and forced to swallow a drink laced with sedatives. He said the youngster was then assaulted "by multiple persons".
Blackmail Attempt
When the girl did not return home, the mother called her daughter, who told her she was in Barrackpore with a friend and would be home by 10pm or 11pm local time. The mother became frantic after calling her child again as she failed to come home.
A man rang her from an unknown number, claiming he had found the girl crying in the street and had let her use his phone. Just after midnight, the girl messaged her mum, saying she was in danger and alleging her friend took her to a man's house, according to Rediff.
Investigation Underway
The girl returned home at about 10.30am and told her mother she had been taken to a house where she was assaulted while she was under the influence of a sedative. She was also alleged to have been forced into taking a contraceptive pill.
Police have launched an investigation. No arrests have been made to date.
