A 32-year-old woman from Tripura capital Agartala and her family have alleged that she was abducted and gangraped by 10 people while returning from a hospital on Tuesday. Her family alleged that the cops were unwilling to register a case, resulting in a delay. She was finally recovered yesterday. Later, the police arrested six of the alleged culprits.
The woman is undergoing treatment at a government hospital. The medical report is awaited.
Chief Minister Biplab Deb has asked the state police to arrest all the culprits. The state BJP has also asked for exemplary punishment.
According to police sources, the woman was abducted by an auto rickshaw driver while she was on her way back from a hospital on Tuesday night. She was gangraped and then dumped near the local government circuit house around night. She was recovered early on Wednesday.
Police sources say in her complaint, the woman said since she knew the auto driver, she boarded the vehicle near the hospital, aiming to go home. But on the way, the driver diverted to another direction and picked up two men. When she tried to raise an alarm, they gagged her and took her to an isolated area. There, she was transferred to another vehicle and taken out of the city to a deserted area, where at least 10 persons raped her. Later, she was brought to the city in the same auto rickshaw.
The woman’s husband has alleged that the police had delayed over an hour in registering the case. The opposition Congress has alleged that the police took action only on Thursday after media reported the story, since a local BJP MLA was trying to protect the culprits.
The police is not forthcoming on the allegations — NDTV’s calls to senior officials went unanswered.
The sexual assault has once again underscored the question of women’s safety in the state capital. In August, a woman was kidnapped and gangraped in the outskirts of Agartala city. Two persons accused of the crime were later arrested.
As per state Home Department records, 809 crimes against women were registered between April 01, 2018 and July 31, 2019. These include 23 deaths of brides, 222 abductions, 32 dowry deaths, 240 rapes, 117 rapes of minors and 3 cases of rape and murder.
