Four of five accused identified; survivor sent for medical test

Even as the Uttar Pradesh government has been criticised by women’s groups for its alleged failure to prevent violence against women, another case of gang rape surfaced on Sunday.

A 26-year-old woman has alleged that she was drugged and raped by five men, one the son of a sub-inspector, in Muzaffarnagar on Saturday. The owner of a gift shop offered her a cold drink laced with sedative, she said in her complaint. The accused threatened her with “dire consequences” if she reported the incident, she said.

The senior sub-inspector of the Kotwali police station, Pramod Kumar, told reporters: “We have identified four of the five accused, all at large. The victim has been sent for a medical test.” The accused identified are Bijay Kumar, Anuj Sethi, Piyush Kumar and Kapil, son of the local sub-inspector.