Inspector D K Bhoi said the incident occurred around 6.30 am when the girl went to a field near her house to answer nature’s call. Two of the accused, Dilip Jasu (45) and Arvind Surpal (47), saw her in the fields while she was completing her ablutions. “They allegedly picked her up and went behind the hill,” he said.

Bhoi added: “We have conducted search operations near the village. The accused belong to the same community as the victim. They are all married and have children.”

In her complaint, the victim has said there were three others as well, who she vaguely identified as Narpad, Mahesh and Jaisinh. They were drunk and allegedly took turns to rape her.

“Later, they beat her up. We have conducted a medical examination,” Bhoi said, adding that the accused have fled from the village.