Jalna, July 12 (PTI): A 17-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped twice in Maharastra’s Jalna town, the second time after the police asked her to meet the accused in an attempt to catch them red-handed but failed.

The girl was allegedly sexually assaulted the second time on Thursday evening, following which authorities suspended assistant police inspector Vinod Ejjapwar for the botched operation. The two alleged rapists were later arrested.

According to the police, two men - both in their 20s - accosted the girl and her boyfriend at an isolated spot on July 7 and raped her at knifepoint after dragging her to a forest. They also took her mobile phone and allegedly shot a video of the act.

The girl reached home and told her mother about the incident after which they lodged a police complaint.

The two accused started calling the girl on her mother's number, demanding Rs 2,000 to her phone. The accused asked her to come to a fly-over on Thursday evening and collect it.

The police then asked her to go to the spot so that the accused could be trapped. However, as the girl rode towards the spot on her two-wheeler, the accused intercepted her, took her to an isolated spot and allegedly raped her again.

The girl then went back to the police, who combed the area and arrested the accused. Her mobile phone was recovered, but no video was found on it.

Inspector general of police Vishwas Nangre Patil ordered the suspension of assistant inspector Ejjapwar and ordered an inquiry into the botched.

The police did not disclose the names of the accused but said they could have committed similar crimes in the past.