TWO teens were horrifically dragged into a forest and allegedly gang-raped by eight men before being left for dead during India's Holi Festival of Love.
A cop said the suspects – all of whom have "confessed" – assumed the unconscious girls, aged 14 and 15, had died after the "night-long" attack.
The victims were allegedly gang-raped in Khowai, Tripura, on Monday by eight men aged from 19-22, reports Times of India.
The teens had celebrated Holi with them before the alleged gang-rape in the Baribari area of Champahaor.
A police spokesman told reporters at Northeast Today: “The girls knew the boys, so they did not hesitate to go with them.
“The accused took the girls to a forest and gang-raped them through the night.
"When they passed out, the men left, presuming them to be dead."
Despite their severe trauma and injuries, the girls "somehow managed to make it home", the Times adds.
Their parents went straight to the police to report the attack.
The victims were admitted to GBP Hospital in Agartala and Khowai District Hospital, and are both currently undergoing treatment.
Dr Kiran Kumar told reporters both girls were out of danger.
The police spokesman said the accused rapists, Jagu Debbarma, Bimal Debbarma, Michael Debbarma, Hrishit Debbarma, Nishit Debbarma, Soyel Debbarma, Biresh Debbarma and Bikash Debbarma remain in custody.
They are to make their first court appearance next Wednesday.
The vile alleged attack comes a month after Oxfam India accused the government of spending a "grossly inadequate" sum of money to combat violence against women and girls.
Nearly a decade has passed since the gang rape and murder of a student on a bus shocked India.
Public outrage over her death led to legislators passing tough new laws against sexual violence, including the death penalty for rape in some cases.
Prison sentences for rapists were doubled to 20 years as well as well as criminalising voyeurism, stalking and trafficking of women.
RAPE EVERY 15 MINUTES
Funds earmarked for setting up helplines, opening crisis centres and introducing gender-sensitisation training for officials remain unspent, the charity said.
It shared its findings after analysing the country's budgetary commitment to boosting women's safety.
Oxfam's Towards Violence Free Lives For Women report noted that a rape takes place every 15 minutes in the country of 1.3billion.
For the 80million women and girls who suffer sexual violence, the budget allocation reached just 102 rupees (70p) per head.
"That is grossly inadequate," said Amita Pitre, lead specialist for gender justice at Oxfam India.
Almost 34,000 rape cases were reported in 2018, about the same as the previous year.
Just over 85 per cent led to charges and 27 per cent of complaints to convictions, according to government crime data.
Days ago, The Sun reported on an eight-year-old schoolgirl being allegedly raped in a dumpster and offered 5p as a bribe to keep the horrific attack secret in India.
In "deep shock", the eight-year-old girl went home crying to her grandma and told her of the attack, said a top cop in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
Several months ago – also in India – a girl, 10, was allegedly beaten to death with a brick after resisting a rape attempt by a family friend in Surat.
Dinesh Baisane, 24, was accused of luring the young girl away from where she was playing near her uncle’s home in the Pandesara area by offering to buy her a vada paav (a fast food dish).
Baisane, who was friends with the youngster’s family, is alleged to have hit the girl on the head with a brick after she cried out for help.
Police said she died of serious head injuries.
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