Gardaí in Limerick confirmed last night that they have investigated only one incident of alleged rape in the Southill area in recent months.
Senior Garda sources expressed "serious concern" at a claim that up to eight women from O'Malley Park in Southill had been raped in the past three months.
The claim was made by an unnamed doctor in an interview with the Limerick Leader newspaper.
The newspaper said the GP claimed he had treated eight women following incidents of alleged rape in the last 12 weeks alone.
It was claimed by one unnamed resident in the newspaper interview that up to 15 women were allegedly raped in O'Malley Park in recent months.
It was further reported that members of one notorious criminal gang from the area were responsible for the alleged rapes and that one of the victims was just 12 years old.
Gardaí in Limerick confirmed that they were currently investigating just one allegation of rape in Southill and expressed surprise at the alleged number of unreported rapes.
Limerick's most senior Garda officer, Chief Supt Jerry Kelly, said last night that he was "absolutely astonished" at the allegations.
"We are trying to get to the bottom of this," he said.
"If we have evidence of 15 rapes then we investigate it, and there would be 15 files to the DPP."
Chief Supt Kelly also confirmed that a file had now been sent to the DPP following allegations of the rape of one woman in her 50s in the Southill area.
Meanwhile a leading Limerick GP has called on the unnamed doctor at the centre of the allegations to substantiate the rape claims and to report them to the Garda.
Dr Richard O'Flaherty, who treats many patients from the area, said that in his opinion the allegations were extremely serious for the people of O'Malley Park.
He also expressed particular alarm at reports that one of the alleged victims of rape in the area was just 12 years of age.
"In my experience in O'Malley Park I have only heard of one recent incident of rape," he said.
"I would ask this unnamed doctor to come forward and back up his statement with facts as it is so serious and so frightening for the people in the area," said Dr O'Flaherty.