Tirupati, Dec 8 (IANS): Amid the nation-wide rage over rapes and growing clamour for harshest punishment to the guilty, an incident of rape of a minor girl by two youth near this temple town came to light on Sunday.

Chittoor district police arrested both the accused who sexually assaulted the 16-year-old girl on the pretext of giving lift to her on their motor-bike.

According to police, Venkatesh gave lift to the girl when she was waiting to board a bus from Tirupati to Tiruchanur.

On way to the girl's destination, Venkatesh stopped the bike at a deserted place and told her that the petrol had exhausted. He then called his friend Rajmohan Naik to come with a bottle of petrol. When Naik came both the friends caught hold of the victim and raped her.

The incident occurred three days ago but the police did not act swiftly on the victim's complaint.

The accused were arrested on Sunday and they will be produced before a magistrate on Monday.

The incident occurred amid the national outrage over increasing number of rape cases and the debate for awarding harshest punishment to the guilty.

A woman veterinarian was gang-raped and murdered on the outskirts of Hyderabad on November 27. All four accused were gunned down by police in an alleged exchange of fire near Shadnagar town on December 6.

Following the incident, families of the victims in several parts of the country demanded similar 'punishment' to the guilty.