KHAMMAM: A tribal woman was purportedly abducted and gangraped by unidentifed persons near the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh border in the early hours of Sunday. The unconscious victim was later abandoned near the Peddamma Talli temple in Palwancha.
According to police, the woman alighted from a bus in Kunta, Chhattisgarh, around 2 am. She was en route from her husband’s village to her parents’ home in Bandirevu village, located in Andhra Pradesh’s Yetapaka mandal.
While she was waiting for transport, two men in a trolley auto offered her a ride, claiming they were headed in the same direction. The woman, believing them, boarded the vehicle.
During the journey, the woman grew alarmed upon realising the men were intoxicated and were consuming liquor. She demanded they stop the auto and exited the vehicle. However, the perpetrators followed her, dragged her into a nearby forest and assaulted her.
The victim reported that she was administered a sedative substance before being raped. She told police she lost consciousness shortly after and has no memory of the subsequent events.
She regained consciousness later near the Peddamma Talli temple in Palwancha mandal, where locals discovered her with injuries. They immediately shifted her to the Primary Health Centre and alerted the police. Childline project officials were informed and have since taken charge of the woman’s care.
Childline Project Officer M Lakshmi Prasanna stated that the victim’s condition is now stable and that all necessary support and facilities are being provided to her.
Speaking to reporters, Kothagudem SP B Rohith Raju said, “We have registered an FIR and launched a thorough investigation. We are verifying CCTV footage from the area to identify the accused.” The SP also confirmed that the woman’s parents have been informed and are on their way to be with her.
Police are waiting for medical reports to confirm rape, he added.