Melbourne, Oct. 28 (ANI): Sixteen men, many of them Australian footballers, have been arrested for allegedly raping two women in Phillip Island earlier this month.

Aged between 17 and 20, the men were arrested after a series of raids for their alleged involvement in ‘pack rape’ case at the end of season celebration.

Four of the men have since been released pending further inquiries. The rest remain in police custody, but no charges have been laid, The Age reports.

Detective Inspector Glenn Davies said violence against women would not be tolerated and any such crimes thoroughly investigated.

“I encourage all women who are victims of sexual assault to report these offences to police,” he said.

Northern Football League general manager Kevin Crompton said the players involved were members of the Montmorency Football Club, but it could not be confirmed how many of those arrested were actual club members.

He said the football club and the league were “‘bitterly disappointed” at the allegations as they had tried hard to educate the players about violence on and off the field.

“The NFL takes the allegations very seriously and encourages anyone with any information to come forward,” Crompton said.

He said the trip to Phillip Island was not sanctioned by the club as the official end of season celebration had already taken place interstate.

“The club was unaware that it had players at Phillip Island,” Crompton said. (ANI)