A group of six men allegedly gang-raped a woman in front of her husband off a national highway in JharkhandтАЩs Palamu district after overpowering the couple and their another male relative present at the time on Saturday night, police said on Monday.
Palamu superintendent of police (SP) Chandan Sinha said all six accused have been arrested.
тАЬWe registered the case with Satbarwa police station. Two of them were handed over to police by villagers while the other four named by them were arrested after raids. The accused have been booked for gang-rape and other offences. Medical tests and recording of statement of the survivor before a magistrate is under process,тАЭ said Sinha.
The SP said the incident occurred near Bakoria More on NH-39 around 8 pm on Saturday.
The woman, in her early 20s, had a fight with her husband and left her in-lawsтАЩ home under Padwa police station limits in rage and set out on foot for her parentтАЩs place in neighbouring Latehar district.
тАЬWhen she did not return home till evening, her husband, along with a relative, started looking for her. They found her walking on the NH near Bakaoria More. As they were trying to convince her to come back and were waiting for some more relatives, the group of six men arrived there. They initially intervened on the pretext of helping the victim. Soon after, they overpowered the three and beat the two men. They then took them to a nearby deserted place and allegedly raped the woman taking turns,тАЭ said the SP.
The womanтАЩs husband, however, managed to escape and approached a police patrol and narrated the incident to them.
тАЬSince he was injured and in an agitated frame of mind, he could not narrate the entire sequence of events. In the meantime, villagers handed over two persons to Manika police station after their bike hit one of the villagers on Saturday night itself. On Sunday morning, when the survivor and the husband came to the police station, they identified the two in police custody as being part of the group involved in the crime,тАЭ said Sinha.
The woman later revealed that the group of six were taking her and her injured male relative to another location when the bike accident happened.
тАЬThe four other accused on the two bikes dumped the woman and fled. After being freed by the accused, the woman went to her auntтАЩs place during the night. After the family got in touch with each other, they approached Manika police station on Sunday morning,тАЭ said Sinha.
Police sources said the six accused were identified as Dharmendra Kumar, Bhola Ram, Surendra Ram and Ravi, all four from Bakoria area where the incident happened. The other two were identified as Girendra Yadav, resident of Balumath in Latehar district, and Khaya Ansari from Lohardaga district.
