Police identified the arrestees as Titu, 20, Shipon, 25, Ripon, 45, and village police member Malek Sardar, 55.

The law enforcement say six men were involved in the incident that took place in Subidpur West Union.

Faridganj Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Shahid Hossain said the arrestees were produced before the court in the afternoon.

OC Shahid said the 15-year-old victim went out to buy medicine from her house on Jan 11. Titu, who lives in the same house, took her to a nearby bush on his auto-rickshaw and raped her.

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Later, he took her Subidpur West Union Parishad building premises where six men raped the girl. Apart from Titu, police named Malek, Shipon, Abu Bakar Siddik Prakash, Mijanur Rahman Ripon and another yet unidentified man.

Later, some youths, including Ripon, took the girl to another bush and gang raped her there. Locals rescued the victim and sent her home.

When the victim informed her family about her ordeal, a group of locally influential people tried to resolve the matter.

Faridgangj police intervened after learning about the incident. Titu, Shipon, Ripon and Malek were arrested between Monday and Tuesday.

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Around noon, the victim’s mother filed a rape case with Faridganj police accusing six men.

OC Shahid said they are trying to arrest the other two suspects.

Bangladesh’s tough anti-rape law

Countrywide mass protests against gang rapes had prompted the government to amend the law to ensure maximum penalty for rape last November. But the tough change has failed to deter the crime.

Between Oct 13 – when the President promulgated an ordinance on death penalty for rape – and Dec 31 last year, 160 incidents of rape took place, according to Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK).

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Last year, 1,627 women became a victim of rape. Fifty-three of them were killed after rape and 14 of the victims took their own lives, ASK said.

But the actual number is believed to be higher as many victims choose not to report assaults fearing their safety.

The conviction rate for rape in Bangladesh is below 1 percent, according to the Human Rights Watch.