Police Arrest 12 Men Over Double Gang R*pe In India

India rape t

Twelve men, including a juvenile, have been arrested in connection with the double gang r*pe of a young woman in southern India, police said Saturday.

The 21-year-old woman was visiting friends in the Karaikal port area of Puducherry state when the incident took place on Christmas Eve, police senior superintendent Monika Bharadwaj told DPA.

The woman was waiting outside her friend’s house alone when three men picked her up and she was assaulted by one member of the group, Bharadwaj said.

Her friends managed to rescue her and while they were returning to their friend’s place another gang of seven men accosted them and abducted and gang r*ped her, Bharadwaj said.

“The woman has said she was r*ped six times. We have arrested all the men we suspect of being involved and two male friends accompanying her, including a juvenile, to ascertain what exactly happened and who was involved in raping her,” Bharadwaj said.

The police officer said 10 men were arrested a day after the incident while the other two were arrested on Thursday and Friday.

They have been remanded in custody for a fortnight and are being questioned.

The young woman is married but is believed to be separated from her husband, police said.

“We have arrested the victim’s friends as it is surprising that they did not alert the police after the first incident,” Bharadwaj said.

The woman is being treated in a hospital and is in stable condition.

The double gang r*pe came days after India marked the first anniversary of the fatal gang r*pe of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi in December 2012.

The crime sparked protests within the country and international outrage, prompting the government to amend laws to apply stricter punishments for r*pe.