Ghaziabad, Apr 12 (IANS): A woman and her male friend in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district have been arrested for torturing and sexually assaulting the woman's minor daughter, the police said.

The daughter, 10, had left her home in Ghaziabad on January 20 and was found roaming the streets of Delhi.

She was handed over to the Delhi Police, who entrusted her to the care of the Child Welfare Committee.

The girl's medical test revealed that she had been raped.

The victim told police officials that her father had died four years ago and she and her brother 13, were living with her maternal grandparents since then.

Last year, her mother had taken the siblings to her home in Ghaziabad. She was repeatedly sexually assaulted by her mother's friend, who had also sexually abused her 13-year-old brother. Her brother had left home because of the abuse.

The girl said that she left home after she found out that her mother was involved in prostitution after her father's death and also wanted to push her into the trade when she got older.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Loni), Bhaskar Sharma, said, "The girl has identified her rapist as Raju, a resident of Delhi. The mother had not filed a missing complaint even after she went missing on January 20. The victim said her mother and Raju would torture her to cover up the crime and would threaten her using pliers to make sure she did not tell anybody about it. Both have been arrested."