Two women from a music and dance troupe were allegedly abducted and gang-raped at gunpoint by about a dozen men in Patna’s Naubatpur area, police said on Saturday.
The incident took place on June 18, they said.
Phulwari Sharif SDPO-2 (sub-divisional police officer) Deepak Kumar confirmed the incident and said, “Police received information that two women were allegedly gang-raped in Naubatpur area. A zero FIR was registered the same day against 13 accused and later transferred to Naubatpur police station on Friday for further investigation.”
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He added, “Three of the accused have been identified as Munna Kumar, Suraj Kumar and Bhanu Kumar, while efforts are underway to trace the others.” An SIT has been constituted to probe the matter, he said.
The victims, originally from Jharkhand’s Latehar district, are cousins and were residing in a rented house in Patna’s Mithapur area.
According to the FIR, a copy of which was seen by HT, the women were hired to perform at a Tilak ceremony in a locality under Naubatpur police station limits. The event was booked by Munna Kumar. Police said that instead of taking the women to the venue, some men allegedly took them to an isolated location.
The victims alleged that they were then separated, held captive at different places and gang-raped through the night. They were also beaten and threatened when they resisted, the FIR said.
The next morning, when the vehicle, in which the victims were being taken, entered the Phulwari Sharif police station area, the women raised an alarm, following which local residents informed Dial-112.
