22-Year-Old Woman Allegedly Raped by 6 Men, Including Two Railway Cops; Case Registered

Yadgir: A case has been registered against six individuals, including two railway police personnel, for allegedly subjecting a 22-year-old woman to repeated sexual assault, intimidation, and wrongful confinement across multiple locations in Karnataka, police said here on Thursday.

The case was registered at the Yadgir Women Police Station based on a written complaint lodged by the survivor after she was rescued by emergency response personnel.

Police said the accused have been booked under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 64(1) (rape), 64(2) (rape by a police officer/person in authority), 70(1) (gang rape), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and 190 (unlawful assembly).

The named accused include Mallu alias Mallappa, railway police personnel Sharanappa, another unidentified railway police personnel, Mahesh, Akash alias Pappu, and Harsha alias Sudhakar.

According to the police report, the victim, distressed over domestic issues, had travelled from Bengaluru to Yadgir by train. While sitting in the waiting area at Yadgir railway station during the early hours, she was approached by Mallappa, who claimed to have travelled on the same train and offered assistance.

Gaining her confidence on the pretext of marriage, Mallappa took her to a house in the railway station area, claiming it belonged to his relative, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her despite her resistance. Shortly after, two railway police personnel--identified as Sharanappa and another unnamed official--arrived at the spot, threatened the victim, and sexually assaulted her against her will.

Mallappa subsequently abandoned her at the railway station. Later, another accused, identified as Mahesh, approached her claiming Mallappa had sent him to take her to a hospital. Instead, he took her to a local lodge near the new bus stand and allegedly sexually assaulted her under threat.

The victim subsequently travelled to Kalaburagi. Nearly a month later, Mallappa traced her, renewed his promise of marriage, and took her to Shahapur on the pretext of preparing marriage documents, where he allegedly assaulted her again at a lodge.

According to the complaint, when the survivor later returned to Yadgir railway station intending to head back to Bengaluru, three more individuals--Ramesh, Akash alias Pappu, and Harsha alias Sudhakar--intervened. Akash and Harsha took her in a car; Harsha alighted midway, while Akash drove her to an isolated stretch and sexually assaulted her before handing her ₹2,000 to return to Bengaluru.

The ordeal continued after the woman reached Bengaluru, where Akash contacted her, promising a job and marriage if she returned to Kalaburagi. Upon her arrival, Akash allegedly confined her to a room for two days and repeatedly assaulted her before abandoning her at the railway station, claiming police were tracking him.

Subsequently, Harsha contacted the survivor offering shelter and domestic work. He allegedly took her to his house in a village in Aland taluk and subjected her to sexual assault, and later took her to a lodge in Aland on the pretext of arranging an Aadhaar card, assaulting and threatening her again.

The continuous ordeal ended when the survivor managed to leave Aland and boarded a bus towards Shahapur. A co-passenger noticed her crying inconsolably and immediately alerted the police emergency helpline 112.

Emergency response personnel intercepted the bus, rescued the victim, and moved her to 'Shakti Sadan', a state-run women's shelter in Yadgir. Following counselling by shelter officials, she narrated the sequence of events and submitted a formal complaint at the Yadgir Women Police Station.

Police officials stated that a comprehensive investigation is underway, and teams have been deployed to trace and apprehend all the accused involved in the crime.

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