Police on Monday arrested seven persons for their alleged involvement in gang-raping a 16-year old girl in Banke.

According to DSP Mukunda Neupane of the District Police Office, Banke, the detainees have been identified as Hem Raj Tharu, Raj Kumar Tharu, Bikrant Tharu, Nirajan Tharu, Prabin Tharu, Bishwonath Tharu and Nirdeshan Tharu.

The incident occurred on Saturday night. 

According to a preliminary investigation, Hem Raj Tharu had invited the girl to celebrate his birthday. They had become friends through Facebook a year ago. 

The girl reached Phulbari at Mankhola in Baijanath Rural Municipality-8 by a bus. 

Hem Raj along with his friends, who had gathered at the Phulbari to celebrate the birthday, started consuming alcohol and also offered it to the girl. 

When they got intoxicated, Hem Raj along with his friends raped her, police said. 

Later, they took the girl, who fell unconscious after the incident, to a pig farm of Bikrant on a motorbike at Pipari in Baijanath-8 where they raped her again. 

Police said that they rounded up the culprits while they were taking the girl to Nepalgunj. 

Further investigation into the incident is underway.