Limbdi, January 19: The Surendranagar police on Monday arrested four persons in connection with an alleged gangrape of a Class XII girl student in Limbdi. The fifth accused in the case is still at large.
“The arrested have been identified as Arvind Vankar, Lala Bharwad, Premji Chawda and Raju Jayanti. While Chawda’s age is around 50, other accused are in the age group of 25 to 30 years,” said investigating officer and Limbdi DySP B Bhagora.
The police said the crime was committed on January 11 in a one-room house on the outskirts of Limbdi. While four men raped the 18-year-old girl, the fifth accused, identified as Tini Anujati, kept a watch at the main door. They also filmed the incident on a cellphone camera. Later, they left the girl outside the house in unconscious condition, from where she was found by her parents.
A complaint in this regard was lodged by the girl’s father, a migrant labourer, on Sunday. The police said that soon after the incident, the girl’s family went to a relative’s place at Parali village to save the family’s honour. But the accused continuously threatened them with life after the incident, following which the victim’s father approached the police.
The police said the accused and the victim have been neighbours for years now. “It was Anujati who brought the victim at the doorstep of the accused,” said a police officer, adding that Anujati had asked the girl to accompany her to visit her sister at Joravnagar near Surednranagar. On their way, Anujati took her to a deserted house where the other accused were already present.
Meanwhile, the victim was today shifted to Ahmedabad for advanced treatment. According to the police, the condition of the girl is critical and she is not in position to record her statement.
—Agencies