Police have arrested three people on charge of raping a 14-year-old girl in Damak, Jhapa.

According to the police, Suman Rai and Samir Shrestha, of Damak Municipality-1, and Kiran Shrestha, of Kamal Rural Municipality-5, were held on August 20, on charge of raping the teenager at a local guest house on August 14.

The police informed that the perpetrators took the victim to Kiran Guesthouse and raped her. Suman and Samir are the friends of the victim whereas Kiran is an employee of the guesthouse.

The victim, a resident from Ilam, is a Grade 9 student at a local school in Damak and was living alone in a rented room. After knowing that the girl was all on her own, Suman coaxed her to go on a ride with him.  Suman then called his friend Samir and they visited Urlabari, BetiniSimsar and Madhumalla throughout the day. That night, they stayed at the guesthouse, said police.

Police said the incident came into light late as the perpetrators threatened the victim not to disclose the incident.

DSP Shyamal Kumar Subba of the Area Police Office in Damak said the victim could not disclose the incident because she was threatened.

“It’s an incident of gang-rape. Locals in the vicinity of the guesthouse have also said that they heard screams coming from the guesthouse that night,” said DSP Subba, adding that the victim went to her home in Ilam following the incident.

Likewise, DSP Subba informed that the police came to know about the incident after the locals asked the girl what had happened on the day of the incident after she returned to her rented room from her home on August 20.

The police have lodged a rape case against the arrested and have begun investigation into the matter.

Meanwhile, various people have been pushing the victim’s side to compromise following the arrest of the three youths. As a result, the victim had to leave her rented room and is currently taking shelter at Maiti Nepal in Kakarbhitta.