Agra, Sep 7 (IANS):  A 15-year-old girl was abducted and gang-raped by three youths, aged between 18 years and 20 years in this district of Uttar Pradesh.

The victim informed her family about the incident, who in turn, informed the police.

As soon as the police launched a search for the accused, one of the youths hanged himself to evade arrest.

The incident occurred when the girl was returning from her father's fruit shop on Monday. A bike-borne man waylaid her and she was pulled into an autorickshaw by the driver and his accomplice.

Later, she was dumped outside an ashram on the outskirts of her village.

Based on a complaint filed by her father on Tuesday, an FIR was registered under IPC sections 363 (kidnapping), 376-D (gangrape) and the POCSO Act.

Assistant commissioner of police, Anand Kumar Pandey, said, "A search was initiated to arrest the accused. The investigation led us to their village under the jurisdiction of Shamshabad police station in Agra. Fearing arrest, one rapist hanged himself from a tree near his home. His body has been sent for post-mortem."

Deputy commissioner of police, Somendra Meena, said, “The arrested auto-rickshaw driver is being questioned. Six teams have been formed to arrest the absconding accused. The survivor has been sent for a medical examination.”