Teens who raped college friend and filmed it get arrested in Mangaluru

MANGALURU: The Dakshina Kannada District Police, who booked a suo-motu case after a video of a Dalit girl student being allegedly gang raped by 5 students went viral, arrested them on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the college in Puttur where they studied has suspended these accused.

The video circulated on social media showed a girl student being gangraped in a

hatchback

car at a remote place and the act was filmed. Taking serious note of the video, a suo-motto case was registered at Puttur Women Police Station and 2 teams were formed to nab the accused.

B M Laxmi Prasad, superintendent of police said those arrested are

Prakyath Shetty

, 19, resident of Barimar, Bantwal; Sunil Gowda, 19, Aryapu Village, Puttur; Kishan,19, Perne village, Bantwal, Prajwal Naik, 19, Perne village and Gurunandan, 19, Bajathoor village, Puttur.

The incident took place some time between February and March. According to the victim, the accused studied with her in the same college. Among them, Sunil had called the victim and asked her to meet him. Later, Sunil and 4 others picked her and drove the vehicle to a remote place.

When the victim questioned them why they were going inside a forest area, they didn’t answer, instead stopped the car at a remote place and took turns to rape her. They also filmed the act. Victim in her complaint mentioned that she was unaware about the act being filmed on that day. After she was raped, 5 of them threatened her not to reveal this to anyone or else she will be shamed online. Fearing about this, the victim, remained silent.

SP scotched rumours that victim was drugged and later raped by accused.

On who circulated the video on social media, police officials investigating the case said that it is under investigation and will be known only after FSL submit its report.

Sources added that the accused were active members of Puttur unit of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishat. However, the student body denied this stating that Parishat’s name is being dragged in to this heinous act and demanded stringent action against the accused, whom the police have booked under

Indian Penal Code

341,376 (D), SC/ST Atrocity Act and IT Act.

SUSPENDED

The college authorities, where the accused were studying BBA and BCom said they have been suspended based on police complaint against them. “The incident took place during college holidays. Based on police complaint, we have suspended all 5 students,” college authorities stated.

DONT CIRCULATE VIDEO

Laxmi Prasad said it has come to notice that two videos of a girl and boys engaging in an intimate act in blue coloured car is being circulated through WhatsApp. “We request members of public to not transmit referred videos over social media or save the referred videos on their phones/computers, doing so is an offence under 354C of IPC and 66E, 67A of IT Act and the persons (including group admins) will be made accused under the said sections.”

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