Three girls, aged between 13 and 15, were raped in Banke district in the last one week, police said.

The perpetrators involved in all three incidents have been arrested. Police have also arrested a man in an attempted rape case.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Suresh Prasad Kafle said within first two months of the current fiscal year, seven rape incidents have been reported in the district.

Eighteen rape incidents were reported in the district in the previous fiscal year. Five of the victims were children.

Ten rape cases were reported in the fiscal year 2013/14.

The date at the District Police Office suggest that rape cases are on the rise in the recent years.

DSP Kafle said a majority of the rape perpetrators arrested by police so far were between ages of 15 and 35 years.

Their victims, DSP Kafle said, were mostly young girls, single women, disabled females, and women whose husbands work abroad.