Three of the suspects, including two AC sleeper coach attendants and an AC mechanic -- all attached to the Central Railway -- have been arrested by the Government Railway Police (GRP), while the fourth managed to run away. It could not be ascertained immediately whether he also was a railway employee. The arrested trio have since been remanded to GRP custody by a Special Magistrate (Railways) till March 5.

Reliable GRP sources identified them as AC sleeper coach attendants Ravindra Pinja (31) of New Delhi and Krishna Chaube (25) and Kuldip Bagga (41), both from Haryana. Sources said that a GRP team had been alerted by a man accompanying the victim, but Bagga, the AC mechanic, and the abscondingsuspect raped the girl before they could arrive at the site.

The 17-year-old victim, belonging to a lower middle class family from MIDC ward in Hingna taluka, was headed for Dhamangaon along with a companion staying in her neighbourhood.

Since the train for Dhamangaon was scheduled for departure at 4.30 am on Tuesday, the girl and her companion decided to leave home late Monday evening and reached the station around 9.30 pm. Purchasing their railway ticket, the two thought they could bide their time on platform No 7 which was relatively deserted, sources said.

Around half-past midnight, one of the suspects, the absconder, noticed the duo and asked them what they were doing on the lonely platform. When the two answered his query, the man suggested that they join him on platform No 1 instead of remaining there.

The duo were walking with the man when they came across Bagga, Pinja and Choube. Soon, Bagga took the absconder aside and started a discussion with him.

Before the girl could realise what washappening, the four started forcing her into the nearby yard. Her companion made a vain bid to intervene and ran towards the Railway Police station when he found it difficult to handle the situation.

Meanwhile, the gang of four took the girl to AC sleeper coach No 98119 of the Nagpur-Nizamuddin Gondwana Express which was idling in the railway yard. Bagga and his unknown associate took turns to rape the girl while Pinja and Choube stood guard near the entrance of the coach.

Soon a GRP team rushed towards the yard in search of the girl. The team managed to apprehend three of the suspects on the spot. The fourth one managed to give them the slip.

The girl was taken to Mayo General Hospital for medical examination on Tuesday morning. Preliminary findings have confirmed sexual assault on the girl and the police also recovered the semen-stained clothes of the culprits as well as the victim. None of the four suspects were either drunk or armed, sources said, adding that the act seemed to be a spur of themoment decision.

So far, the arrested trio have disclosed little about their absconding friend although the police are confident about nabbing him soon. Both Pinja and Choube are employees of the Gondwana Express and are not supposed to leave their coach even when the train is left idling in the railway yard.

An offence of gang-rape and common motive has been registered and GRP sub-inspector S S Mhaisekar is investigating the case.