K'taka: Interfaith Couple Beaten; Woman Allegedly Raped By 7 Men

A group of seven men barged into the hotel room of an interfaith couple in Haveri, Karnataka, abused them and then kidnapped and allegedly gang-raped the woman. Two of the perpetrators have been arrested so far. The incident came to light after the couple filed a case against the men. Reportedly, the incident took place on January 8 and the disturbing videos filmed by the men have now gone viral on social media. 

According to Kannada news portals, the miscreants got information about the interfaith couple booking a hotel room, followed them there and barged into the room. Headline Karnataka reported that they beat up the couple and took the woman along with them and raped her in a moving car. 

Details Of The Incident 

Earlier, news of the couple being thrashed had made headlines this week. Latest shocking updates in the case state that the woman, who belongs to a minority community, was kidnapped by the seven men and gang raped in a moving car. 

Reportedly, the woman was dropped off on the side of the road on a highway, from where she took a bus back home. The survivors filed a case against the men and the police have caught two perpetrators so far. Reportedly, the woman survivor first went to the police station in Hangal and filed a complaint but did not mention the gang rape angle. 

Haveri Superintendent of Police (SP) Anshu Kumar told Kannada media, "The gang-rape matter was not reported at that time. Now that she has come out and narrated the incident her statement would be recorded and stringent action would be initiated in the case." The woman's partner told the police, "They had kidnapped and inhumanly attacked my partner. She had opened up about this brutality with one of the family members. She had not told me."

SP Kumar told India Today, “Two arrests have been made and we are further identifying the accused. We will arrest the rest of the miscreants soon.” SP Kumar added that the men probably personally knew the miscreants and were not affiliated with any group or union. The information about how the men must have known the couple has not been disclosed. 

SP Kumar added, "Initially it was an assault case and we arrested two people. However, based on the statement of the victims, we are looking to add sections such as kidnapping, outraging the modesty of a woman, assaulting a woman, and attempting to murder."