Seven men have raped me, recalled the Spanish woman who was gang-raped in Jharkhand's Dumka, around 300 km from state capital Ranchi, on Friday night. The woman, with bruises all over her face, shared the horror in an Instagram post: "Something has happened to us that we would not wish on anyone. Seven men have raped me."
The woman and her partner, who had reached Dumka from Bangladesh on two motorcycles and was en route to Bihar and then Nepal, were also robbed and beaten up when they were halting for the night at a makeshift tent.
"They have beaten us and robbed us although not many things because what they wanted was to rape me," she said.
Three people have been arrested in the case and police have launch a a manhunt to catch the remaining accused. A special investigation team (SIT) has also been formed to probe the incident.
The survivor has been admitted to a hospital, police said.
As per a PTI report, Dumka Superintendent of Police Pitambar Singh Kherwar said Hansdiha police patrolling team found two people on the side of the road around 11 pm on Friday.
"The patrolling team sensed that something had happened to them. Since they were speaking in Spanish, the police could not understand what they were saying. However, the policemen brought them to a local hospital assuming they needed some treatment," he said.
The Spanish couple told doctors about the incident of sexual assault, he said.
"We were informed about the incident around 1.30 am on Saturday. The investigation started as soon as we received the information. We spoke to the victim. Thereafter, we detained some people and during interrogation, they admitted their involvement. The accused also took some other names. We have formed a team and raids are being conducted to nab the other accused. We are also taking the help of a forensic team and the CID in this regard," he said.
Jharkhand BJP president and former chief minister Babulal Marandi demanded stern action against the police. "When such incidents take place with foreigners, who would like to come to Jharkhand? The law and order machinery has collapsed here. Strict action should be taken against the police," he said.
The issue was also raised in the Jharkhand Assembly during its concluding day of the budget session on Saturday.
Condemning the incident, state minister Mithilesh Thakur said, "It is unfortunate. Those involved in the crime will not be spared and stringent action will be taken against them."
