Bhopal: Two young army officers were brutally assaulted and their friend was gang-raped at gunpoint in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, late on Tuesday evening. The attackers appeared to have set upon the group, which was out on a ride at night, with the intention of robbing them.
The police have arrested two of the attackers, one of whom was found to have a criminal record.
The two officers, who are training at the Mhow Army College near Indore, had gone with two women friends to a spot near the firing range at Chhoti Jam in the afternoon.
Suddenly, they were surrounded by eight men armed with pistols, knives, and sticks. The men beat up the trainee officers and the women before robbing them of their money and belongings.
The situation escalated when the attackers took one officer and a woman hostage, sending off the other officer and a woman to fetch a ransom of Rs 10 lakh.
Panicking, the officer hurried back to his unit and informed his commanding officer, who swiftly alerted the police.
Police officers and military personnel rushed to the spot but the attackers fled on seeing the approaching vehicles.
All four were taken to the Mhow Civil Hospital for a medical examination around 6.30 am. Both officers suffered injuries.
The medical examination confirmed that one of the women was raped, reported news agency Press Trust of India, quoting a police officer, Lokendra Singh Hirore.
"A case under (BNS) sections pertaining to loot, dacoity, rape and under the Arms Act has been registered," said senior police officer Hitika Vasal, PTI reported. The police are looking for the other criminals involved, the officer said.