Three men in Puducherry have been arrested on charges of raping a Class 9 student from the union territory. The horrific incident came to light after Nisha*, who had been missing from her home, returned in a semi-conscious state on Saturday evening. The girl was rushed to the hospital where it was discovered that she had been drugged and raped by three men, including her boyfriend.
According to reports, Nisha was invited by her boyfriend Naresh, 19, to a friend’s house on Saturday. Nisha was then allegedly given a drink laced with a drug, following which she was raped by Naresh. Even as Nisha was unconscious, she was allegedly also raped by Naresh’s friends, 32-year-old Raja and 19-year-old Suriya.
Meanwhile, Nisha’s friends had registered a missing complaint with the police station as she had not returned home for a long time. On Saturday evening, Nisha walked back to her house in a semi-conscious state. Her parents rushed her to the hospital where it was discovered that she had been drugged and raped by the three men. The police nabbed the trio soon after, remanding them to the Cuddalore Central Prison.
All three accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 366 (Kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, etc.), 376 (Punishment for rape), 376(d) (Whoever being on the management or on the staff of a hospital, takes advantage of his official position and commits rape on a woman in that hospital) and 506/2(Punishment for criminal intimidation) in addition to Sections 3(1)(x) and 3(2)(v) of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Since the student is a minor, the men have also been booked under POCSO sections 5(g)(whoever commits gang penetrative sexual assault on a child) and 6 (Whoever, commits aggravated penetrative sexual assault, shall be punished with for aggravated rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than ten years but which may extend penetrative sexual assault to imprisonment for life and shall also be liable to fine).
(*Name changed to protect identity)
Source: The News Minute