How a botched police investigation led to a teenage girl being raped twice by the same men.

A 17-year-old girl complained to police after allegedly being raped at knifepoint in a forest by two men.

Instead of protecting her, police in the Indian state of Maharashtra asked the teen to act as ‘bait’ in a ploy to catch her attackers.

But the police blunder saw the girl allegedly raped for a second time by the same attackers.

NDTV reports the teen was raped on July 7 after the accused allegedly shot a video on her mobile phone and then threatened and blackmail her.

After following her home, the men – who had posed as police – lured her to a secluded spot and allegedly raped her at knifepoint.

The following day, police sent the girl back to the same spot in an attempt to trap the perpetrators. But the operation failed because police vehicles followed the girl too closely.

A day later, they tried again with horrific results.

Aurangabad district Inspector General of Police Vishwas Patil said a second attempt to trap the accused was made, but due to a “miscommunication” the teen apparently left to meet the men incorrectly believing a police vehicle was following her.

“The plan was that the victim would be escorted by the police to the spot,” Mr Patil said, according to News Limited.

Watch this news report for more details on the case (post continues after video):

“The victim, however, mistook a regular patrol van which passed by her house as the escort vehicle and thought that was the signal for her to leave for the spot.”

The girl was allegedly raped again by the men, with no assistance from police.

“To take the help of a victim who is traumatised, and risking her in this situation is a major blunder. It is wrong to use a victim, especially a minor victim, as bait,” Mr Patil said.

He said two men have now been arrested over the incidents and an assistant police inspector has been suspended over the bizarre plot to catch the men.

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