Vadodara:

Three labourers were arrested for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl in Vadodara city of Gujarat, a breakthrough achieved within 48 hours of the crime after analysing footage from 1,100 CCTV cameras and a manhunt, police said on Monday.

Two others who had accompanied the main accused on bikes to the crime spot are being interrogated.

The accused individuals originally belong to Uttar Pradesh and settled down in Vadodara over ten years ago, police said. They are identified as Munna Vanzara (27), Mumtaj Vanzara (36) and Shahrukh Vanzara (36).

“The accused have been working as construction workers in Vadodara city,”, city Commissioner of Police Narasimha Komar told reporters.

The teenage girl was allegedly raped by the trio on Friday late night who restrained her male friend on a deserted stretch on the outskirts of the city on a Navratri night when revellers come out in large numbers to celebrate garba, police had said.

According to police, five men had approached the girl and her friend on two motorcycles. While two of them left the spot, three others committed the crime and also snatched the mobile phone of the victim. They threatened the victim against disclosing the incident.

After receiving information about the incident, police cordoned off the area and launched a manhunt.

The incident caused a massive uproar and raised questions over the safety of people, especially women, going out during the night to celebrate the Navratri festival.

“Police launched a massive manhunt involving 65 officials who analysed footage from 1,100 CCTV cameras installed across 45-km routes in the city,” Komar said.

Police initially caught Munna Vanzara within 48 hours of the incident from his house in Tandalja locality. His interrogation led police to Mumtaj Vanzara and Shahrukh Vanzara, who also live in the same locality, the crime branch stated.

Munna, a native of Gonda in UP, lives with his pregnant wife in Tandalja, a locality in Vadodara. He had come to Vadodara a decade back and worked in the construction industry. The motorcycle used in the crime belonged to him.

Mumtaj and Shahrukh are originally from Ambedkar Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh and settled in Vadodara 14 years ago. Both are married.

Mumtaj was earlier booked on the charges of dowry harassment and cruelty on the complaint of his wife, police said.

The accused trio has been booked under sections 70(2) (gang rape on woman under 18), 309 (4) (causing hurt during robbery), 351 (3) (criminal intimidation), 65 (1), 54 (abettor present when offence committed) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and other sections of the POCSO Act.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bharuch:

A 10-month-old girl was raped by a 30-year-old man in Gujarat’s Bharuch on Sunday, police said. The incident took place in Panoli village when the accused took the baby away when she was playing in the courtyard of her house. 

The accused, identified as Deepak Kumar Lalbabu Singh, sexually assaulted the infant while taking her to his home, Deputy Superintendent of Police Kushal Oza said. 

According to the police, the child’s mother works at a restaurant. The accused knew the infant and her family and had on many occasions, come to their house to play with her. On Sunday, when the infant was playing in her courtyard, the accused took her away and raped her not far from the house. 

The child’s grandmother heard her cries and rushed to find the baby bleeding and severely injured. Outraged locals apprehended the accused and handed him over to the police. Later, the child’s mother who rushed to the scene upon hearing the disturbing news, carried her baby to  Bharuch Civil Hospital, where her condition worsened due to the severe injuries. 

The police have registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita before arresting the accused and further legal proceedings are underway.

A medical examination of both the victim and the accused has been conducted as part of the investigation.

(With inputs from Mahendra Prasad) 
 

Vadodara:

The body of a woman, who had gone missing earlier, was found dead in bushes in Gujarat’s Vadodara.

The woman has been identified as Vidya Ramesh Vasava, a resident of Shinor village in the district.

According to police reports, four men — Pravin Shanabhai Vasava, Kiran Shanabhai Vasava, Gangaram Gangubhai Vasava, and Chunilal Mangaldas, all residents of Shinor and nearby villages — have been arrested in connection with the case.

The investigation revealed that Kiran, the woman’s brother-in-law, suspected her of being involved in another relationship. Officials said he had been pressuring her to marry him, but she refused.

In retaliation, the accused along with his associates allegedly entered the Monter’s Boat Training Centre, where they assaulted and raped the victim. After she attempted to flee, they chased her down, dragged her back into the bushes, and sexually assaulted her again. At last, they strangled her using her scarf, resulting in her death.

The police have arrested all four suspects, and further legal proceedings are ongoing.

In 2023, four individuals, including a woman, were arrested for allegedly attempting to murder a 40-year-old woman from Shinor taluka. The victim was reportedly half-stripped and dragged through fields as punishment for allegedly having an extramarital affair with the husband of the accused woman.

According to the FIR filed at Shinor police station, the accused included a mother and her son, who were assisted by two others in the assault. At one point, the accused attempted to strangle the victim by pressing his foot on her neck after throwing her to the ground. She was half-stripped, brutally beaten with sticks, and mercilessly dragged across the ground. After the assault, the accused left her in a villager’s field and proceeded to attack her paramour, who is the father of the accused.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)