Four boys aged 10 to 13 have been detained in South Africa after it was revealed that they raped a 4-year-old girl, Local Media reports.

According to The Citizen, the boys were detained and taken to the Walter Sisulu Child and Youth Care Centre after they allegedly raped the young girl in Muldersdrift on Friday.

Police spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo, said the girl’s mother was braiding a client’s hair when her nephew told her about the incident.

A rape case was opened for further investigation.

In a separate incident, the South African Police arrested a 24-year-old man for allegedly raping a five-year-old girl on Thursday evening in Khutsong, near Carletonville, on Thursday.

Masondo said the girl’s mother left her two children, aged 11 and 5, asleep at her home at approximately 9pm to visit her boyfriend.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect bent the corrugated iron and snatched the child, whom he took to the bush and raped. She was found by the police on Sunday after a lengthy search.”

Masondo said cases of child neglect might be opened against the mothers of the victims, pending the investigation.

Police are appealing to the community to report any guardian or parent suspected of neglecting children.