Mumbai: The D.N. Nagar police have booked 15 teenagers for unnatural sex and sexual exploitation of a minor, after the 16-year-old boy alleged that they had been sexually exploiting him for the last couple of weeks. Ten of them have been sent to the Juvenile Remand Home in Dongri, while inquiries are under way against the rest.
The incident was reported to the police by the victim, a resident of D.N. Nagar in Andheri (west), who sought the help of a local NGO on Tuesday evening. “The victim has said in his statement that around two weeks ago, one of the boys in his locality took him to a secluded corner and sodomised him. This boy then told some of his friends about it and over the next few days, several friends had similarly exploited him,” said an officer with the D.N. Nagar police.
The victim was earlier silent due to the stigma attached to it. The accused had threatened the victim with dire consequences, and had also told the victim that speaking up would only malign his own reputation in the colony. However, three days ago, seven boys from his area exploited him together.
“Realising that staying silent was only going to make things worse, the victim sought the help of a member of the NGO, who first took the victim’s parents into confidence and then brought him to the police station,” the officer said.
The police took the victim to Cooper Hospital for a medical examination and then recorded a statement. An FIR of unnatural sex under the Indian Penal Code and sexual exploitation of a minor under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act was registered against the 15 accused, all of them between 14 and 16 years of age.
The police said the victim and the accused stay in the same area and would regularly play together. The police are finding out if any of the accused have similarly exploited other minors.
