Kendrapara: Police on Wednesday arrested four more persons for their alleged involvement in the gang-rape of a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Kendrapara district. With this, the total number of arrests in the case has risen to five.

Police on Tuesday arrested a 29-year-old close relative of the survivor, who allegedly lured her to a secluded location where she was assaulted by the five men. All five have been booked under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. While the relative has already been sent to jail after a local court rejected his bail application, the four others will be produced in court. Police said the accused also recorded the assault on video.

According to the FIR, the survivor alleged that her relative visited their residence on Raksha Bandhan (August 9) and offered to take her to a temple in a nearby village. Instead, she was taken to a deserted spot, where four others were waiting, and was gang-raped.

“It seemed that the crime was pre-planned and the relative of the girl was the main accused,” a police officer said. The accused allegedly threatened her with dire consequences if she revealed the incident to her family. The survivor’s statement was recorded on Wednesday in the presence of a magistrate, an officer added.