Mumbai, Jan 2 (IANS): Two brothers in Mumbai have been arrested for allegedly repeatedly raping and impregnating their 13-year-old cousin for the past eight months when she used to be alone at home, police said.

The accused are a 22-year-old man and his 18-year-old sibling – who would frequent the home of their minor cousin in the Vikhroli area of northeast Mumbai, where she lived with her parents.

Not suspecting anything amiss, the parents, both working, permitted them to mingle freely with her and the brothers even visited her unhindered in the couple's absence.

However, last Sunday, the victim’s mother noticed that the girl’s stomach was apparently protruding and asked her about it, but she did not respond properly.

Concerned, the woman took her daughter to a local hospital where the doctors gave her the devastating news - that the girl was 23 weeks pregnant.

Later, the stunned family lodged a complaint with Parksite Police Station which recorded the girl’s statement and initiated the probe into the shocking case.

Among other things, the victim revealed that the younger cousin first raped her in May, and the older one started raping from August, both on multiple occasions. They also forced her to watch pornographic materials and videos before committing molestation and sexual assault.

Both the accused were arrested on Sunday and Monday and sent to custody. They have been slapped under charges of rape, gang-rape, sexual harassment on repeated occasions, showing objectionable video content and other offences under the IPC plus invoked various sections of the POCSO Act.