Dehradun, Aug 18 (IANS):  A 16-year-old girl from Punjab was allegedly gang-raped on a bus at ISBT, Dehradun, just days after the horrific rape and murder of a woman doctor in Kolkata. The police have arrested five suspects in this case.

The victim is said to be mentally challenged and has been in the care of Child Welfare Committee (CWC) after the incident.

According to the police, the incident occurred on the night of August 13, when the victim boarded a UP Roadways bus from Moradabad and arrived at ISBT Dehradun at around 2:30 a.m.

When the CWC members counselled the teenager, they came to know about this incident. After this, they immediately informed the police.

On the instructions of SSP Ajay Singh, the police registered a case against four people late last night, out of which the police detained two suspects and started an investigation.

Child Welfare Committee member, Preeti Thapliyal strongly condemned the incident and said the CWC team found the teenager in a distraught state outside ISBT. The team immediately informed the CWC, which then rescued the girl and sent her to Balika Niketan. After a few hours, she disclosed the details of the assault.

The minor, a resident of Punjab, revealed that she had been living with her sister and brother-in-law after her parents' death. On August 11, they asked her to leave their house.

The victim arrived in Dehradun at around 2:30 a.m. on August 13. Although the bus had emptied, she remained onboard. She said that initially, there were two other people on the bus, and later two more joined them.

However, the police have detained a cashier sitting at a counter of Uttarakhand Transport Corporation from the ISBT bus stand. The police said that the employee detained is a conductor, but he is being made to work as a cashier. Further investigation is underway.