A brutal case of sexual assault has come to light from Palghar district of Maharashtra where two men allegedly raped a 15-year-old girl after thrashing her male friend and tying him to a tree. The mind-numbing crime took place around 8 pm on Monday night in Virar area when the minor girl was on her way to a relative's home and encountered a 16-year-old friend on the way.

Virar police have registered a case based on a complaint by the girl's parents and an investigation into the matter is underway. A hunt has also been launched to identify and arrest the two men who committed this heinous crime.

In their complaint, the girl's parents claimed that she was walking to a relative's home accompanied by a male friend when two men apprehended them. One of the men then mercilessly thrashed the boy and tied him to a tree after which the two dragged the girl behind a set of bushes and took turns to rape her. They kept assaulting the boy in a bid to silence the minors or restrict them from narrating the incident to anyone and later fled the scene of the crime.

After managing to escape, the minor girl rusher to her parents and told them about her ordeal. The boy's family was also informed and an official complaint was lodged with the Virar police on Wednesday. A case under sections 376D and 323 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) have been lodged against the unidentified accused along with relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

In her statement to the police, the minor girl has claimed that the two accused were wearing brown trousers which are usually worn by autorickshaw drivers. She also claimed to have seen a triangular medallion on their shoulders which resembled medallions issued to autorickshaw drivers