Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh), Oct 15 : Three minors are among five accused held for the gang rape of two women in Andhra Pradesh's Sri Sathya Sai district, police said on Tuesday.

The accused had sexually assaulted a woman and her daughter-in-law at Nallabommanapalli village in Chilamattur mandal on the intervening night of October 11 and 12.

Sri Sathya Sai District Superintendent of Police V. Ratna said key accused Nagendra, Praveen, and three minors have been arrested. The sixth accused is absconding.

The accused had barged into the house of a watchman at an under-construction factory and after physically assaulting the male members, raped the two women. The accused also escaped with Rs 5,200 cash.

According to police, the victim family had migrated to the village from Bellary in neighbouring Karnataka for their livelihood five months back. A couple, their son and daughter-in-law were working at a paper mill which was under construction. The SP said the family was asleep under a shed on Friday night. The accused barged into the place around 2.40 a.m. and after assaulting the man and his son, gang-raped the two women.

Police said the accused were habitual criminals and were involved in several cases. They targeted the family living in a remote place in a planned manner. The investigations revealed that the offenders damaged the CCTV cameras at the factory committing the crime.

However, the image of one of the accused while damaging the cameras was recorded and it proved to be a vital clue for police. After the shocking incident came to light, the SP had alerted police stations on the Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka border and formed special teams to nab the accused.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Anita said in Amaravati that the accused were arrested within 48 hours after the crime was committed. She said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed that necessary measures be taken to ensure that the culprits are punished in an expeditious manner. The home minister said the case would be transferred to a special court for early trial.

/IANS