VISAKHAPATNAM: Two tribal minor girls were allegedly gangraped by eight youths in Thajangi hamlet in Chintapalli police station limits in the Agency area. Cases were slapped on the accused on Monday and a manhunt was launched to nab the culprits.Though the heinous crime was committed on the night of May 20, it came to light only on Monday after the girls approached the cops. Residents of Cheruvulapalem hamlet in Lambasingi gram panchayat, the victims, aged 15 and 16 years, had gone to attend a village goddess festival at Thajangi, 15 km from their village, on Saturday. When they were coming back in the evening with two boys, it started raining and the four took shelter in a school.The eight accused approached them, beat up the boys, took their cellphones before forcing themselves on the hapless girls. SP Rahul Dev Sharma told TOI, “We have registered a case at Chintapalli and will investigate the crime and take strong action.”Police said only two of the eight accused — Naagendra and Varun from Thajangi — have been identified and efforts were on to identify the others. Chintapalli DSP Anil Pulipati said cases under section 376(D) of IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act-2012 and SC/ST Atrocity Act have been registered. “We are taking the help of an elderly woman to get more details from the victims who are traumatised,” Anil said.Meanwhile, CPM district executive member Bonangi Chinnayya Padal, Lambasingi sarpanch Korra Raghunath and tribal leader Vanthala Subba Rao demanded strong action against the accused.