VIZIANAGARAM: A young mother of two was allegedly raped twice by the same man in her children’s presence at two different places in VUDA Colony here late on Monday night. Police said the prime accused, identified only as Cherry (20), was arrested. Two of his accomplices, too, will be booked, though they were not directly involved in the crime.
In her complaint, the 25-year old tea-stall worker said she was having dinner with her elder brother at her rented accommodation in VUDA Colony when Cherry barged in around 11.30 pm and demanded sexual favours from her. When denied, he attacked the woman and her brother, even as his accomplices waiting outside kept threatening to eliminate them. Cherry allegedly pushed the man out, locked the door and forced himself on her in the presence of the woman’s children. The brother was not living with her. The woman’s brother rushed for help and returned reportedly with another of his sister.
Cherry reportedly fled when they knocked at the door. Fearing further assault, the woman and her children shifted to her sister’s house at night itself. Her trauma, however, did not end there. Fifteen minutes later, Cherry and the two others trespassed into the sister’s house. Threatened, the sister reportedly fled fearing for life, leaving the woman, Cherry and his accomplices behind. Police identified one of the accomplices as Srinu, while the other was not named in the First Information Report.
Cherry allegedly raped the woman once again. She, however, fought off the attempts of the unnamed accomplice to violate her, police said, adding he kept demanding sexual favour even after the woman had locked herself in. The men left after the woman contacted the tea-stall owner, her employer, over the phone. The survivor said Cherry had been stalking her ever since she had shifted to the colony three months ago.
Police said the woman, hailing from Parvathipuram in Manyam district, came to the town seeking livelihood after separating from her husband. Confirming one arrest in the case, Superintendent of Vizianagaram Police M Deepika Patil said the accused’s accomplices, too, would be booked. Disha police would probe the case and prepare a chargesheet within a week, the officer added. The rape survivor was taken to the government hospital here for a medical examination. The case was registered under IPC sections 376 (rape), 354 , 354-A (sexual harassment) and others.