BHOPAL: Three men, one of them an accused in a murder case, have so far been arrested by the police in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district for attacking-robbing two young Army officers and then allegedly raping one of the two female companions of the officer-duo early Wednesday.
Of the six accused, two were arrested on Wednesday within a few hours of the ghastly incident. The third suspect was arrested by the police on Thursday evening from the adjoining Dhar district.
“At least 10 teams are conducting raids and combing the jungles of Indore and adjoining districts. We hope to nab the remaining accused soon,” IG-Indore (rural range) Anurag told this newspaper. All the six accused belong to a dominant tribal community in the region.
Two young officers undergoing training at an Army facility in the cantonment town Mhow had gone out for a picnic along with their two female friends to the scenic Jamgate hillock and the plateau near it on the Mhow-Maheshwar Road (around 50 km from Indore district headquarters).
On their way back in the car, six men armed with a pistol, knives and rods, attacked and robbed them. The armed men held an officer and his female friend captive and asked the other officer and his female friend to go and arrange Rs 10 lakh for the freedom of the duo held captive.
When the two didn’t return in an hour, some of the armed men forcibly took the woman held captive into the adjoining forest and are suspected to have raped her. The incident occurred close to the Army’s firing range, where entry of the public is banned. This raises questions about security near that firing range.
Meanwhile, the officer and his female friend who were set free by the accused to arrange money informed their seniors. They reported the matter to the local Badgonda police station. Police team subsequently rushed to the spot around 4.30 am on Wednesday. Seeing the police, the accused fled.
The woman who is suspected to have been gang-raped is hospitalised. Police are waiting to record her statements.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi raised the issue on Thursday. “The incident is enough to shame the entire society. Law and order in BJP-ruled states is almost non-existent and, the negative attitude of the BJP government towards the rising crimes against women is extremely worrying,” he said.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also raised the issue on micoblogging site X. Former UP CM and BSP chief Mayawati said: “The attack on the officers is a very shameful incident. The situation is out of control because the government is not taking such heinous incidents seriously. The government should pay attention.”
Third accused held
Of the six armed men who assaulted the two Army officers and their female friends and raped one of the two women on Tuesday night, two were arrested on Wednesday within a few hours of the ghastly incident. The third suspect was arrested by the police on Thursday evening from the adjoining Dhar district.