A 21-year-old law student was allegedly raped by a gang of eight members near Gandhi Bhavan on the Jnana Bharathi campus here on Saturday night.
The victim, a second year student of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) and a native of Nepal, had gone with her boyfriend, Nirmal, to the secluded wooded area about 2 km from Gandhi Bhavan around 10 p.m. After some time, eight men, who allegedly were in an inebriated state, spotted the couple and threatened them. They asked the couple to hand over their valuables to them. The police said that some of the gang members allegedly threatened the couple with rods.
When the gang asked Nirmal to hand over his wallet, he said that he had left it in his car which was parked nearby. One of the gang members accompanied Nirmal to his car while the girl stayed back. The gang is then suspected to have taken the girl further into the woods and allegedly raped her.
Meanwhile, a police constable, who was in the area, found Nirmal even as the accompanying gang member fled. The constable and Nirmal searched the area for about 45 minutes before they found the girl around 11 p.m., who alleged that the gang raped her.
The police said that the victim was a boarder at the law school. Nirmal, a native of Uttar Pradesh, who works in a private firm in the city, had picked her up from the hostel around 9.30 p.m. on Saturday and the couple had driven to the Jnana Bharati campus.
A case has been registered in the Jnana Bharathi police station against the accused, who are yet to be traced. The victim was admitted to Vani Vilas Hospital where medical tests were conducted.
Joint Commissioner of Crime (West) Pronab Mohanty said that they have registered a case of rape based on a complaint from the victim. The police are questioning Nirmal, he said.
Sources at the hospital said that though the girl claimed that she was raped, preliminary examination revealed that she had no external injuries.
Upon inspecting the scene of assault, the police said that the spot was covered with bushes and thorns which could have caused injuries if she had been raped. However, there were no visible signs of injuries on her, the police said and added that they would be able to ascertain if it was rape only after the medical report arrived.
