Two women from a music and dance troupe were kidnapped and gang-raped at gunpoint by about a dozen men in Patna’s Naubatpur area, police said on Saturday.
They said the incident occurred on June 18.
Phulwari Sharif SDPO-2 (sub-divisional police officer) Deepak Kumar confirmed the incident and said, “Police received information that two women were gang-raped in Naubatpur area. A zero FIR was registered on the same day against 13 accused and they were later transferred to Naubatpur police station on Friday for further investigation.”
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“Three of the accused have been identified as Munna Kumar, Suraj Kumar and Banu Kumar, while efforts are underway to trace the others,” he added. He added that a special committee had been formed to investigate the matter.
The victims, originally from Lahar district of Jharkhand, are cousins and were staying in a rented house in Patna’s Mithapur area.
According to the FIR, a copy of which has been seen by HT, the women were appointed to perform a tilak ceremony in an area falling within the limits of Naubatpur police station. The event was booked by Munna Kumar. Instead of taking the women to the spot, some men allegedly took them to an isolated place, the police said. The victims alleged that they were then separated, detained in different places, and gang-raped throughout the night. They were also beaten and threatened when they resisted, the FIR said.
The next morning, when the car carrying the victims entered the Phulwari Sharif police station area, the women raised an alarm, following which local residents informed No. 112.
