The police say the boys accessed porn using two mobile phones.
Highlights
- The 5 boys allegedly sexually abused an 11-year-old girl for weeks
- They were allegedly addicted to porn on their mobile phones
- The boys, from class 6 to 11, were later rescued by the police
Five boys who allegedly sexually abused an 11-year-old girl for weeks, were dragged out of their homes by a mob, stripped and thrashed until at least one of them dropped to the ground bleeding, late last night in Andhra Pradesh. The boys were rescued by the police.
The boys, from class 6 to 11, were allegedly addicted to porn on their mobile phones, which had unlimited internet access. They are said to have sexually assaulted the girl in their neighbourhood in Punganuru in Chittoor district for two months and threatened her, to keep her from telling anyone.
The girl told her mother, who confided in her brother and other community elders. The family complained to the police but allegedly, no action was taken.
On Wednesday, a large group picked up the five boys and beat them up.
Just last week,
a mob attacked a police station at Old Guntur in Andhra Pradesh after a 10-year-old girl was allegedly molested. According to reports, police lathicharged to disperse the mob and a few policemen were injured in the clashes.
The police say the boys accessed porn using two mobile phones.
Police officer T Sainath told NDTV that cases have been registered under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO), and under laws on rape.
"The boys were in the habit of watching pornography on the phone and that may have influenced them to commit the crime,'' the investigating officer said.
The boys will be presented before a juvenile court in Tirupati.
Chittoor is the home district of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu who had, after the Guntur incident, had said that the accused should be publicly hanged. Mr Naidu words were criticized by activists who accused him of endorsing vigilante justice.