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Noida: A 55-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by four men in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday morning. Reportedly, the accused dragged the woman to a field where they held her at gunpoint and took turns to rape her.
One of the accused, who was arrested on Wednesday, has been identified as Mahendra. The accused was nabbed near his village in Jewar by the police, the Special Operations Group and the SWAT.
Accused booked under SC/ST Act
A police spokesperson said, “A reward of Rs 25,000 was announced on information leading to the arrest of Mahendra in the wake of the incident in which another person has already been arrested and sent to jail. ”
After learning about the accused, the police lodged an FIR under Sections 376D (gangrape), 352 (punishment for assault or criminal force otherwise than our grave provocation) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, were also added to the FIR, The Times of India reported.
Reportedly, Mahendra has been booked for trespassing and theft in the past. He is the only person named in the complaint. The accused was nabbed after the 55-year-old survivor identified him through a picture shown to her.
The incident sparked massive outrage in the state and led to political controversy. Opposition parties like the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) and the Congress attack the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state and slammed them for not ensuring women safety.
This story first appeared on timesnownews.com