1 week Ago By Mid-day
Nine individuals have been arrested in connection with the brutal gang-rape of a 19-year-old woman who was allegedly assaulted by 23 men over a span of six days in various locations across Varanasi. The horrifying details of the case have sparked outrage, with police intensifying efforts to apprehend the remaining accused.According to PTI, the young woman was reportedly drugged and taken to multiple hotels and hookah bars across the city, where she was repeatedly raped.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Cantonment) Vidush Saxena confirmed that nine accused have so far been arrested in the Varanasi gang-rape case, and search operations are underway to nab the rest.“The police teams are conducting extensive searches, and the remaining accused will be arrested soon,” Saxena stated. He added that the survivor is in a stable condition and that law enforcement is in constant contact with her family.
The survivor’s mother, however, declined to speak to the media. “Whatever information you want, you can talk to the police and take it from the police station,” she told reporters.As per PTI, the young woman had left her home on 29 March to visit a friend.
When she failed to return by April 4, her family registered a missing person’s report.Initially, upon being found by police, the woman did not disclose details of the assault. It was only on April 6 that her family filed a formal complaint, revealing the full extent of the crimes.
A case has been registered in the Varanasi gang-rape case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against 12 named and 11 unnamed individuals. Those named in the case include Raj Vishwakarma, Sameer, Ayush, Sohail, Danish, Anmol, Sajid, Zahir, Imran, Jaib, Aman, and Raj Khan.According to PTI, the survivor recounted that on March 29, she was lured to a café in Lanka by Raj Vishwakarma and his friend, where they sexually assaulted her.
The next day, she was allegedly taken by Sameer to a highway where he too committed the act. On March 31, Ayush and his associates—Sohail, Danish, Anmol, Sajid, and Zahir allegedly intoxicated and gang-raped her at a cafe in Sigra.On April 1, Sajid, accompanied by another individual, allegedly took her to a hotel where further assault took place.
Later, she encountered Imran, who reportedly drugged and raped her again in another hotel. When she resisted, he abandoned her outside.The complaint further states that on 2 April, Raj Khan allegedly took her to the roof of his house and attempted to rape her.
When she screamed, she was taken to Assi Ghat in an intoxicated state and left there. On 3 April, Danish again allegedly took her to his friend’s place, where Sohail, Shoaib, and others raped her before leaving her near Chowkghat. She returned home the following day and disclosed the events to her family.
(With inputs from PTI).
