The Army has launched an inquiry into the conduct of two officers, who were assaulted and one of their two women friends was allegedly raped by six men at Jaam Gate in Mhow near Indore in Madhya Pradesh at 2.30 am on Wednesday.

A senior Army Officer, preferring anonymity, said that an inquiry has been ordered into the conduct of both officers and a senior official is conducting it.

Sources said that the two Army officers, whose names were said to be Lieutenant Pranit (23) and Lieutenant Kaushal Pal (24), are undergoing the Young Officers course at the Infantry School in Mhow cantonment town.

Sources added that the inquiry is for the gross indiscipline and violation of training rules, to find out, among other things, how and why the two officers were roaming outside till 2.30 am.

Meanwhile, the police have rounded up all six men accused of assaulting and robbing the two trainee army officers and allegedly raping the officers’ woman friend.

Indore (Rural) SP Hitika Wasal said on Friday that the police have taken three more men into custody in connection with the case and they are being interrogated.

“We have taken all the six accused into custody,” Wasal told The Statesman on Friday.

“We have taken three more men into custody today. We are questioning them. They have not yet been formally arrested,” Wasal said.

Regarding the allegations of gang rape with one of the woman who was with the army officers, the SP said the woman has still not given her official statement to the police.

“We are still waiting for her to record her statement about the incident,” Wasal said.

Asked if any of the accused have confessed to the police that they raped the woman, the SP said, “that is a matter of investigation, as the accused are still being interrogated.”

According to the police, Anil Baror (27) and Pawan Bansunia (23) were nabbed on Wednesday and produced before a local court that remanded them to five-day police custody.

The third accused, Ritesh Bhabhar (25) was nabbed on Thursday night.

The remaining three absconding accused were taken into custody on Friday. They have been identified as Rohit Giriwal, Sandeep Bariya and Sachin Makwana.

The official said that Bhabhar was accused of threatening the two army officers and their two women friends with a pistol during the incident, while the other accused were carrying sticks.

The two army officers accompanied by two women were listening to loud music in a car near the Jaam Gate at around 2.30 am on Wednesday. Hearing it in the deserted area late at night, six accused reached the spot.

The accused held one officer and one woman hostage and told the other officer and woman that the hostages would be released only if they brought them Rs 10 lakh.

The other officer left the spot and went to his seniors and reported the matter. The senior Army officers alerted the police and police teams rushed to the spot as soon as the incident was reported.

However, the accused fled from there on seeing the lights of the approaching vehicles.

The police registered a case under Sections 70 (gang rape), 310-2 (dacoity), 308-2 (extortion) and 115-2 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and under relevant sections of the Arms Act based on the complaint filed by one officer.