Over 40 hours since a Spanish tourist was allegedly gang-raped in Dumka, Jharkhand, and four individuals were arrested, the police stated on Sunday that they are actively searching the remaining suspects and a special investigation team has been set up for the same.
According to the victim, a 28-year-old travel vlogger, she was raped by seven men on Friday night when she and her partner stopped in Dumka for the night during their biking trip.
Also Read:Jharkhand: Spanish national gangraped in Dumka, 3 detained
Jharkhand Director General of Police Ajay Kumar Singh had earlier confirmed that all seven suspects had been identified, with four already in custody. The woman, in a social media post on Sunday, highlighted bruise marks on her face and expressed gratitude for being alive despite the traumatic incident.
Dumka Superintendent of Police Pitamber Kherwar stated, “The statements of all the arrested accused are being recorded.” However, no details about the accused were provided by the police.
Also Read:PM Modi rakes up Sandeshkhali in West Bengal, accuses Mamata Banerjee of shielding accused Shahjahan
What happened that night?
The horrific incident unfolded on Sunday when the Spanish couple, husband and wife, traveling on their bike, were heading towards Bhagalpur via Dumka. Around midnight, they decided to put up a tent en route.
Their decision proved disastrous as the couple was rounded up by seven men who held knives to their necks and threatened to kill them. The woman was then gang-raped, and her husband was beaten and thrashed by the gang.
Around midnight, the couple stopped a patrol van. Initially, the patrolling party had difficulty understanding the incident as the woman was speaking partly in English and partly in Spanish. They were then taken to a nearby health center.
“Looking at them, it seemed that something unpleasant had happened to them. While taking him to the hospital, it was revealed that (they were) on their way to Nepal from West Bengal, and had reached Kurmahat village of Hansdiha police station at 5 pm and spent the night in a forest near Kunji Basti, about 2 kilometers from Kurmahat village,” the source told The Indian Express.
Doctors at the health center subsequently informed the police that the woman had been raped.
Also Read:‘Jhooth and loot’: PM Modi leads no-holds-barred attack against dynasty-based parties in Telangana
The victim’s partner confirmed the deverlopments in a social media post showcasing their bruises. “My mouth is destroyed, but my partner is worse than me. They have hit me with the helmet several times, with a stone on the head. Thank goodness she was wearing the jacket, and that stops the blows a little,” the woman biker’s husband said in the post.
The woman, who has nearly 2 lakh followers on Instagram where she shares travel snippets, conveyed in a video message in Spanish, “We are in the hospital, and something happened to us that we wouldn’t wish on anyone. Seven men raped me, and they have beaten us and robbed us, although not many things (were taken) because what they wanted was to rape me. We are in the hospital with the police; it happened tonight in India.
Verbal spat over the incident
India has received significant backlash following the gang rape where US-based writer David Josef Volodzko advised his female friends not to travel to India alone. Volodzko also mentioned some incidents of abuse and harassment, including one involving a woman being groped.
In response to the allegations, NCW chief Rekha Sharma hit back saying India takes the safety of women seriously, citing the implementation of stringent laws over time as evidence as She criticised the US-based writer for allegedly “defaming” India over the gang-rape of a Spanish woman in Jharkhand.
Sharma responded, questioning if Volodzko had reported the incidents to the police, stating that defaming the entire country on social media was not a responsible choice.
The writer countered, accusing Sharma of not responding to complaints about women being assaulted, stripped, and raped, and criticized her for accusing him of defaming India.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP-elect Sagarika Ghose slammed Sharma, accusing her of arrogance and a lack of concern for women. Ghose argued that a country is defamed when women are assaulted, not when such crimes are reported for justice.
Sharma defended herself, stating that the NCW took immediate action on the Dumka incident, visiting the survivor and working to ensure all accused were arrested. She also questioned Ghose’s involvement in the Sandeshkhali violence in West Bengal.