A 22-year-old student from Mysuru was allegedly gang-raped by a person known to her and his two friends at a secluded place in Pandavapura on Friday.
The complaint was registered on Saturday, and in a swift action, the police arrested all the four accused in the crime. The fourth person has been charged with criminal intimidation and cheating. The accused have been identified as Keerthi, Kiran Gowda alias Kirana, Mohan and Manju. They are residents of Srirangapatna and surrounding areas.
According to the Pandavapura police, Keerthi befriended the victim, a student of a college in Mysuru, four months ago. He took the victim to Baby Hills in Pandavapura on Friday evening and raped her. Later, he telephoned his three friends and summoned them to the spot. Of them, Kirana and Mohan sexually assaulted her, the victim reportedly told the police.
The victim called the police control room from her mobile, but the accused snatched her handset. When the police tried calling her back, the accused switched off the handset, left the victim at the place of crime and fled from the scene.
She was threatened with dire consequences if she revealed the crime to anyone. Hence, she did not venture to approach the police immediately. However, only on Saturday she broke down and narrated the matter to one of her family members.
Later, her family took her to the police station and lodged the complaint. Based on it, the Pandavapura police registered a case, formed a team and nabbed the accused.
All of them have been charged with cheating, gang-rape, criminal intimidation and assaulting the victim with intent to outrage her modesty.
Medical examination was done on the victim and the arrested persons at the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences hospital here on Sunday, the police said.
The police seized two motorcycles and mobile phones from the accused.
“We are verifying the criminal background/credentials of the arrested persons,” a senior police officer told The Hindu.
Meanwhile, Manjula Manasa, chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Women, appreciated the timely action of the Mandya police.
Speaking to this correspondent here on Sunday, she said that she would meet the student. The commission would provide assistance to the victim, she added.
