Coming as it does in the aftermath of the Patan and Bharuch gangrape cases, the complaint also attracted attention on Monday as the family of the girl alleged that they were being pressurised by powerful people associated with the ruling party to withdraw the complaint.

With the government already facing flak over the Patan incident, a quick clarification came from Minister of State (Health, Water Supply) Parbat Patel, to whose constituency the accused belongs, that they were not related to him in anyway.

“None of the accused is related to me though some are from my constituency and my community. Of what I know of this case, the girl and the boy had eloped a month ago, and now the girl has returned perhaps under pressure from her family. The allegations, if proved true, would lead to suitable punishment,” Patel said outside the state Assembly.

As per the complaint details, one Valam Patel took the girl, a resident of the Gujarat Housing Society in Palanpur , first to Ahmedabad, and then to Surat and Mumbai.

While 12 others named in the complaint assisted the boy in abducting the girl, she was repeatedly raped before being dropped back a few days ago on the Deesa highway.