New Delhi: All eight accused in the 1 March gangrape of a Brazilian motorcyclist in Jharkhand’s Dumka district have been arrested, ThePrint has learnt.
According to sources in the Jharkhand police, the accused are between 19 and 24 years of age. ThePrint had earlier reported that one of the accused had claimed he is a minor, which the police say has been proved false.
The 28-year-old survivor and her Spanish husband also were beaten up by the accused. The woman also holds a Spanish passport.
The accused allegedly took turns to rape the woman and physically assaulted her. They also allegedly hit her husband with a helmet.
On Tuesday, the Jharkhand administration gave Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the couple.
Police sources said that the couple had camped for the night at a spot near Hansdiha market in Dumka district around 5.30 pm last Friday evening, and that was when the accused noticed them and planned their attack.
The couple had set up a tent at this spot, located in a forested area some 2 kilometres from the main road, and planned to leave the next morning. They had been travelling across India since last July, and were en route to Nepal via Bhagalpur.
“The accused had seen the couple in the evening when they were out in the area and planned the attack. Between 7.30 pm and 10 pm, they attacked the couple and took turns to sexually assault the woman in the nearby bushes,” a police source said. The assault took place some 50 meters from their tent.
“They saw that the couple were in an isolated location and attacked them,” the source added.
Asked if the accused have criminal records, the source said, “We are verifying, as of now, no other case has come to our notice.”
The accused also allegedly robbed the couple of Rs 10,000, a watch and rings.
The couple stopped a police patrol vehicle, after which they were taken to a hospital.
Sources said the accused belong to nearby villages and are unemployed.
“They have caught all the criminals and there were eight in total. Everything has gone very quickly, the police have been tremendously efficient. I just have to thank all of you who have helped and supported us. I ask for justice from all the women who also got through this. That it is not just me, we all deserve the same,” the woman said on social media.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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