Police in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu have arrested four men in connection with the gang-rape of a 32-year-old woman. The horrific ordeal took place in Neyveli on Friday when the survivor, a widow and mother of three, was returning home following a trip to the grocery store.
In her complaint, the woman said that she was returning home after buying groceries. She was accompanied by a male relative. He stopped the motorcycle at one point to relieve himself and she was waiting for him by the two-wheeler when five men approached her. They began harassing her. When the relative objected to their behaviour, the men used violence to chase him away.
They then took turns raping the woman. At one point in time, the men engaged in an argument over who would sexually assault the woman first. This argument turned violent in no time and led to one of the accused, identified as M Prakash, being beaten to death by the others. After committing the heinous crime, the four remaining men fled the spot, leaving the woman lying on the side of the road.
Upon regaining consciousness, the woman walked up to the nearest police station and registered a complaint in this regard. She was taken to a local hospital for a medical examination which confirmed signs of rape. All of the four accused were arrested on the basis of her complaint on Saturday and sent to jail. A senior official familiar with the case said that the five men who gang-raped the woman were friends. They were drinking at the spot where the woman’s relative halted the motorcycle to relieve himself, added the officer.
The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on charges of gang-rape and murder among others. In fact, various reports have indicated that all of the accused are daily wage labourers. More details are awaited as this is a developing story.
A similar case has come to light from the state of Telangana a 19-year-old girl was abducted, gang-raped and murdered. The victim was on her way to a local temple to offer prayers on the occasion of her birthday when the incident took place. Her body was spotted by locals on Hunter Road in Hanamkonda town on Wednesday night. A case of rape and murder was then registered against unknown persons under relevant sections of the IPC.
