NEW DELHI: Eleven people, including 9 women, have been arrested after a young mother was allegedly abducted, gang-raped and then paraded on the streets with her face blackened with ink.
Footage on social media showed the victim — her face blackened with ink and her hair chopped off — being pushed and heckled by several women as onlookers cheered and filmed with their phones.
According to police, they were informed about an incident that took place on Wednesday by the woman’s husband, who was not present at the spot but was informed about it by his landlord.
Police said after receiving information, they rushed to the spot and rescued the 20-year-old woman from assault and took her to the police station. Police have registered a case under different sections of the Indian Penal Code including gang rape, physical assault, sexual assault and criminal conspiracy among others.
The victim’s sister claimed that a boy living in the neighbourhood, who claimed to be in love with the woman, died by suicide in November last year. “His family blames my sister for their son’s death,” she said.
Sathiyasundaram, deputy commissioner of police, said the incident in the Shahdara district of east Delhi on Wednesday was a result of “previous enmity” among neighbours.
“We are examining the videos to identify others who were involved and there will be more arrests,” Chinmay Biswal, additional commissioner of Delhi police, told AFP.
The woman, who has a two-year-old child, is now receiving counselling after the incident, which reportedly took place barely 50 metres (yards) from a police booth that was unmanned at the time.
