Hassan, Dec 28 (PTI): A 17-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped by 10 persons for nine days in Karnataka's Hassan district.

Seven of the accused have been arrested.The girl was allegedly raped at various places in the district by the accused, who brought her to the town from Magge village in Alur taluk promising her employment, Superintendent of Police Amith Singh told PTI over phone.

The ten sexually exploited the girl in turns from December 19 to December 27. The gang then dumped her in Hassan yesterday after which she approached an NGO for women, which immediately alerted police.

Singh said the police constituted three teams to trace the accused and seven have been held.

"We are looking for more suspects. They will also be arrested soon. All the arrested have been subjected to medical examination," he said.

The seven arrested, including an auto rickshaw driver, would be produced before a local court tomorrow, he said.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, who is a Lok Sabha member from Hassan, has demanded exemplary punishment to the accused.