A 30-year-old US woman was allegedly gang-raped by three persons in a moving truck at Manali in Himachal Pradesh on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.
The accused in the alleged incident, which took place on Monday night, are yet to be nabbed. Meanwhile, the medical examination of the victim has confirmed rape.
According to police, the victim had arrived at Manali on Monday morning and left for Vashisth village in the evening, to meet some friends. On her way back to Manali late in the night, she was offered a lift in a truck. However, the driver of the vehicle and his two accomplices raped the woman, after taking her to a desolate spot.
“She could not recall the registration number of the truck. They drove the truck to an isolated spot and raped her for nearly an hour,” said a police official. The police have asked all the truck drivers in Manali to report at the local police station, as part of the investigation. “We have got some clues about the vehicle used for the crime and registered a case of rape under Section 376 of the IPC. We have also informed the US Embassy in New Delhi about the incident,” SP (Kullu) Vinod Dhawan said.
In her complaint, the victim alleged that she was raped by the truck driver and his accomplices, who also took away her iPhone and some money. According to her, the accused, in the age group of 18-25 years, raped her at an isolated stretch on the way to Rohtang Pass, and dropped her at Manali bus stand a couple of hours before daybreak.
She had gone to meet her friends, who were staying in a guesthouse about two-km off Manali.
Meanwhile, Manali Police have registered a case against three unidentified persons and a search is on for them.
Local police have deployed a woman constable for ensuring the woman’s safety, until the US Embassy officials reach Manali.