In a chilling incident, a nine-year-old girl was raped over a month by three friends of her father in Noida's Sector 21, as per a report by HT. The accused were booked under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and arrested, the officials said on Thursday.

The incident came to light after the girl, studying in Class 1, complained of illness and was subsequently taken to a hospital by her father. Medical examination revealed signs of sexual assault, after which the police were alerted.

Providing details, the police said that the girl lives in Sector 21 with her father, currently separated from her mother, and two siblings in the servant quarters of a house. The family has been living there for the last 25 years.

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The accused have been identified as a Sector 123 man who irons clothes, a security guard living in Sector 48, and a driver from Harola. All of them were regular visitors to her house.

HT quoted a senior official saying, "These men were regular visitors to the family’s home and took advantage of their access to target the child when she was alone."

According to the victim's brother, her sister had been feeling unwell for the past week. Upon health deterioration, she informed their father about the sexual assault by the accused.

"The doctors confirmed the assault during examination and informed police, after which we filed a formal complaint," he added.

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Reportedly, a senior official said that the accused raped her thrice in the last month. Additional Deputy Commissioner of police Sumit Shukla said that the case has been registered under BNS sections 137(2) for kidnapping, 74 for assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, and 65 for rape, along with relevant POCSO Act sections.

On the next day (Wednesday), the accused were arrested and were presented in the court on Thursday. The police have assured a thorough investigation into the case and strict action against the perpetrators.