Tribal woman gang-raped by eight in Raigarh, six held

RAIPUR: A tribal woman was allegedly gang-raped in Raigarh district in Chhattisgarh by eight men when she was returning from a village fair on the day of Raksha Bandhan on Aug 19. Police have arrested six accused in the case and are searching for others.
The incident took place in the Pusaur area of Raigarh when the 27-year-old woman, separated from her husband for the past few years, went to Meena Bazaar with some acquaintances.
She was returning with one of the male acquaintances when they were intercepted by seven other men, known to the male friend. The accused were stated to be his friends and they had allegedly planned to rape her.
The eight men dragged her to an isolated location near a pond and took turns raping her. The accused dumped her in an unconscious state and fled.
The survivor after gaining consciousness, walked to the police station alleging that she was raped by eight men and identified few with their names and residents of the same village. Police lodged an FIR in the case on Tuesday.
Raigarh SP Divyang Patel told reporters that six accused were arrested within hours of the complaint and others were being searched. The accused were arrested under Sections 70(1) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Based on the interrogation, police will gather identity and other leads in connection with the accused at large and catch them at the earliest, the officer said.
Those arrested are jobless men between the age of 20-25 years and had an eye on the woman since they found her an easy target because of separation with her husband.
The woman was provided with primary health treatment and her condition was stated to be stable.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)