Three Indian men have appeared in court and police are searching for four other suspects in connection with the gang rape of a Spanish tourist on a motorbike trip with her husband, reports said on Monday.
The attack occurred on Friday night in the Dumka district of India's eastern state of Jharkhand, where the couple was camping.
A total of seven men have been charged with carrying out the brutal assault.
“We have formed a team to search for the remaining suspects,” Pitambar Singh Kherwal, a senior local police official, told AFP.
On Sunday, the three defendants were seen being led into court by police officers with bags over their heads and ropes around their waists. The three were later taken into custody.
-/AFP (via Getty Images)
A Spanish woman and her husband also appeared in court.
The couple told Spanish television station Antenna 3 on Saturday that the men had raped the woman and repeatedly punched the man, according to Reuters. They said they camped out because they could not find a hotel nearby, Reuters reported.
“We have to ensure strict punishment,” Kerwal said, Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported on Monday.
Helwar said a special team, including forensic officers, had been formed to search the scene of the attack, while another team was hunting for further suspects.
“They are constantly raiding places,” Kerwal said in a PTI report. “We plan to arrest the remaining suspects soon.”
According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau, an average of nearly 90 rape cases were reported every day in India in 2022.
That year, the police 11 people arrested There were brutal gang rapes and torture of young women, including one who was paraded through the streets of Delhi. A police officer was arrested in India in 2022. be accused of rape A 13-year-old girl went to the police station and reported that she had been gang-raped.
In 2021, a 34-year-old woman died in Mumbai. raped and brutally tortured.
Many rape cases remain unreported due to widespread prejudice against victims and distrust of police investigations.
Convictions remain rare, and cases have been stuck in India's gridlocked criminal justice system for years.
The infamous gang rape and murder of an Indian student took place. 2012 global headlines.
Jyoti Singh, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student, was raped and assaulted by five men and a teenage boy on a bus in New Delhi in December of the same year, then left for dead.
This horrific crime drew international attention to the high levels of sexual violence in India, sparking weeks of protests and ultimately leading to legal reforms. death penalty for rape.
