Police booked four persons on February 5 for allegedly gang-raping a 16-year-old city beautician in a moving car. The girl, who is a Dalit, told police that the accused, were known to her, dumped her at an isolated spot near Jalandhar Bypass after committing the crime.

The accused are Balwinder Singh, Kulwant Singh alias Baba, both residents of Jalandhar, Jassi and Hardeep Singh of Ludhiana, reports the ODDNAARI.IN.

In her complaint, the girl said that on February 5, the accused came to her house while her parents were out. A woman was also accompanying them and she told the girl that they required a beautician for a bridal makeup. As the four were known to her, the unsuspecting girl went with them, said police.

Later, the accused took turns to rape her in the moving car. The girl said she hailed a three-wheeler from Jalandhar Bypass and reached her friend’s house in Basti Jodhewal.

The accused had threatened her, and so the girl told no one about what happened. But on February 9, she opened up to her parents and narrated them her ordeal following which they lodged a complaint. The girl also alleged that the accused passed casteist remarks against her.

Assistant sub-inspector Surinder Pal, who is investigating the case, said the complainant has not been able to give details of the model of the car and its registration number. “We have started scanning the CCTV footage in the area to get clues,” the assistant sub-inspector added.

The woman accompanying the accused has been identified as Mani. She is wife of one of the accused and has been booked, said the ASI.

A case under sections 376-D (gangrape), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), sections 3 and 4 of Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and section 3 of SC/ST act against all the accused.