At least seven men have been arrested in the west India after a 16-year-old complained that she had been raped hundreds of times by men. This is the last of a series of horrific cases that he underlines once again the serious problem the country is facing with the issue of sexual violence.

In a statement to the Child Welfare Committee of India (CWC) on November 11, the girl, who is homeless, reported being raped by 400 people in the Beed area of ​​Maharashtra, according to CWC chief Abhay Vitthalrao Vanave. In fact, she named two police officers in her complaint.

The girl was begging for money at a bus stop when she was allegedly attacked by three men and forced to surrender.

And while the number of alleged rapists is difficult to confirm, the girl could identify at least 25 perpetrators.

CNN contacted Beed police for no comment on the girl’s allegations.

In a statement Monday, police said they had opened a case against eight men – including a minor – on charges of rape.

They married her at 13 to a 33-year-old

At least seven men have been arrested in western India after a 16-year-old girl claimed she was raped hundreds of times by hundreds of men in the latest horrifying case to highlight the country’s rampant sexual violence problem. https://t.co/h1dWjFh3gb

CNN International (@cnni) November 16, 2021

The girl told police that she was married at the age of 13 to a 33-year-old man who sexually abused her, according to a police statement. She also told police that her father had also sexually assaulted her, causing her to leave both houses and fall asleep at a bus stop.

Women’s rights activist Yogita Bhayana said this is “the most tragic rape case in history”.

“The girl was tortured every day”, stressed and added that the police had failed to protect her.

According to official figures, more than 28,000 cases of rape of women were reported in 2020 – one every 18 minutes. Experts believe that the real number is much higher, as many rapes are not reported out of fear.