Police in Bengaluru on Thursday, May 27, arrested five accused — four men and one woman — in connection with the rape and physicial torture of a woman after a video of the act was widely circulated on social media. One woman, who is an accused in the case, is currently absonding. The survivor and the total six accused are all thought to be Bangladeshi nationals and were part of a crossborder human trafficking network, according to the police. The police said that the survivor was brought to India for trafficking. City Police Commissioner of Bengaluru Kamal Pant on Twitter said, “According to the information revealed so far, all of them are part of the same group and are believed to be from Bangladesh. The survivor, who is also a Bangladeshi, was brought to India for trafficking and was tortured and brutalised due to a financial matter.”
While they were being arrested, two of the accused were shot at by police and are being treated at a Bengaluru hospital for bullet wounds they sustained below their waists, as per reports. DCP East Sharanappa SD told TNM that they were shot by police on May 28 morning as they tried to escape when they were taken to the crime scene. Kamal Pant said that a case of rape and assault has been registered at the Ramamuthy Nagar Police Station and the survivor is found to be living in a neighbouring state. He said that a police team has gone to bring her to Bengaluru so that she can help with the investigation. He added that the investigation is being carried with full earnestness and under the supervision of senior officers. While the police have not revealed their names yet, an officer told IANS that that the four accused men had brutally assaulted the 21-year-old woman after raping her.
..the investigation.
— Kamal Pant, IPS (@CPBlr) May 27, 2021
According to the information revealed so far, all of them are part of the same group and are believed to be from Bangladesh. The victim who is also a Bangladeshi was brought to India for trafficking & was tortured & brutalized due to a financial matter. 2/3
The video of the act, which had gone viral in many parts of the North East including Assam, had led the police there to send a tip-off their counterparts in Bengaluru, thus leading to the swift arrests of those seen in the video assaulting the woman. The Hindu reported that the video which had gone viral was shot by the accused themselves and later shared with their friends in Assam and West Bengal. The report identified the accused as labourers. The Assam Police had also tweeted the photographs (screengrabs of the video) of the five (out of six) accused and asked the public to come up with information on May 27.
These images are of 5 culprits who are seen brutally torturing & violating a young girl in a viral video.
— Assam Police (@assampolice) May 26, 2021
The time or place of this incident is not clear.
Anyone with information regarding this crime or the criminals may please contact us. They will be rewarded handsomely. pic.twitter.com/ZnNjtK1jr6