Four minor orphans have been arrested for allegedly raping their nine-year-old schoolmate at the premises of a shelter attached with the educational institute in suburban Bandra, police said on Thursday.
The victim is a student of Class I at St Catherine of Siena school, which also has a home for destitute children attached in which over 300 minor boys and girls live.
"The boys, in Class III, IV and V, have confessed to have raped the girl following which they were arrested on Tuesday," said Samad Sheikh, senior inspector at Bandra police station.
According to police, the crime came to light on Tuesday when the authorities of the shelter and school held an interactive session with the inmates.
"During the session, every inmate was asked about his or her problems. This was when the victim told the authorities that she had been sexually abused by the four boys — two of them are aged 12 years, one 9 and other of 10 — in the shelter repeatedly since March," Sheikh said.
The shelter authorities had called in a gynaecologist for counselling when the victim explained how the boys abused her sexually.
"Subsequently, this was brought to our notice on Tuesday when the boys were held and during the interrogation, the accused confessed to have raped the girl," Sheikh said.
The victim and the accused were taken to Nagpada police hospital for medical tests where the boys also told doctors there they had raped the victim, Shaikh said, adding that further probe was on.