22-year-old woman gang-raped by nine in Nellore, three arrested

TIRUPATI: A 22-year-old woman was gang-raped by a group of nine men near Kondayapalem in Nellore district on Saturday. The incident came to light on Monday and the police arrested three of the accused.

Police said the victim, a resident of Kovur mandal, had come to the city to assist her sister, who was undergoing treatment at a local hospital. While going to a medical store to purchase medicines, she boarded an auto-rickshaw at Gandhi Statue. The driver drove her away.

“After receiving the complaint on June 11 at 6 pm, we formed special teams to arrest the culprits. During the investigation, we analysed the CCTV footage from various locations and identified the auto’s registration number. This led to the arrest of three men on Monday,” the local police said.

The arrested men were Dasi Sandesh (26), Darsi Ashok (22) and Aravabhumi Vamsikrishna Reddy (26).

According to the victim's statement, after she boarded the auto-rickshaw, the auto driver called his three accomplices into the vehicle and they drove her away. She was taken to an isolated place in Kondayapalem. The gang, armed with knives, raped her. Subsequently, two more men came on foot and three on a bike. They too forcibly raped her. The accused managed to escape when a police patrol passed by.

“The survivor courageously approached the Vedayapalem police station on Sunday and lodged a complaint,” police added.