The police in Jharkhand’s Lohardaga district have arrested 11 men for allegedly raping two minor girls, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashish Kumar Mahli said on Sunday. The accused were apprehended after a police team conducted raids in the Hirhi Harra Toli locality, he said, according to PTI.

The accused, who are between 18 and 28 years old, allegedly raped the girls on August 16 when they were going to the Hirhi Harra Toli area along with their neighbour. The girls were on a motorcycle, which broke down near Hirhi Railway bridge, Mahli said. When one of the girls called her friend for help, he sent 11 of his friends to the spot instead.

The accused took the girls to an isolated area and raped them after beating up their neighbour. They also stole the complainants’ mobile phones.

A case was registered at Sadar police station after the complainants gave a statement, and Superintendent of Police Priyadarshi Alok directed that a task force be formed to investigate the incident. Subsequently, the accused were arrested, and the stolen mobile phones recovered from one of their houses.