Jaipur, May 18 (PTI): Five deaf and mute orphan girls were allegedly raped and beaten by staff at a residential school run by an NGO in Kanota area here.

Four persons, including the director of the NGO 'Awaaz Foundation' have been arrested after the incident was reported to police yesterday, DCP (East) Shweta Dhankar said today.

"The girls, aged between 15–17 years, were staying at the hostel run by Awaaz Foundation where two employees Ashok and Suresh had been sexually exploiting them for some time. The girls were raped and beaten, and when they approached the NGO officials, their complaints were ignored," she said.

The girls were from a juvenile shelter home in Gandhi Nagar and had been sent to the residential school, which runs with the support from the Social Justice department, to undergo a training, police said.

The case came to light when the girls returned to their shelter home, run by the state government, in Gandhi Nagar after completing the course.

"We have arrested Alpana Sharma, who runs the NGO, and employees Geeta, Suresh and Ashok. A few more arrests are likely to happen soon," the DCP added.

Police said that 109 students were staying at the hostel, which has been functioning for the last six years.

Meanwhile, People's Union for Civil Liberties activists today protested in front of the girls' home in Gandhi Nagar and demanded action against the culprits involved in the case.