NEW DELHI: Two nine-year-old girls were allegedly gang-raped late last week by two men, a contractor and a caretaker, near an under-construction swimming pool on a private property in outer Delhi’s Narela. Both men have been arrested.Police said the girls, who are neighbours, were lured to an area near the pool on some pretexts. Anil Kumar (37) and Munil Kumar (24), residents of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, respectively, were also said to have threatened the girls after the alleged assault.On Aug 8, the mother of one of the survivors filed a complaint, alleging that her daughter and another girl were sexually assaulted at a swimming pool in Narela. A case was registered under sections 70(2) (gang rape), 127 (wrongful confinement) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sections 6 and 10 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act at Narela police station.The statements of the survivors were recorded and they corroborated the complaint. Police arrested Anil and Munil after following the due procedure. Police didn’t find their involvement in any previous criminal cases. An officer said a group of girls had found the gate to the pool area open and entered the premises to go for a swim. The two men noticed them and cunningly lured the two girls away from the pool and assaulted them, he added.According to police, it was confirmed that though the pool was not operational or ready for use, people frequently came to swim or bathe there without any charge or formal permission. “The pool is located on a private property. One of the accused, Anil, is a contractor responsible for the property’s maintenance while Munil serves as the caretaker. Both girls come from economically weak backgrounds,” police said.According to Delhi Police data, 932 cases of rape and Pocso offences were registered till June this year compared to 1,040 such cases during the same period last year. In 2024, a 17-year-old girl and her 22-year-old aunt were allegedly gang-raped by five men in southeast Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar. All the accused were arrested.