Ranchi horror: Woman paraded with blackened face by neighbour over bike dispute; 2 arrested

RANCHI: A 28-year-old woman was allegedly humiliated in public after her face was smeared with black colour and she was paraded by a neighbour in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district, police said on Tuesday.Two persons, including a woman, have been arrested in connection with the incident, which took place on Sunday in Bhabhanagra colony under the Sadar Police Station limits.“As soon as we received information, a police team reached the spot and rescued the victim. We have arrested two accused — Pankaj Singh alias Pankaj (25) and Santna Kumari (23),” said Kuldeep Kumar, Officer-in-Charge of Sadar Police Station.Both have been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and were sent to judicial custody on Monday.Preliminary investigation revealed that four to five days before the incident, the victim’s husband had allegedly taken Pankaj’s motorcycle without informing him. The two families are neighbours living in rented houses in the same locality.Pankaj accused the victim’s husband of stealing the bike. The woman acknowledged that her husband had taken it and assured that it would be returned.On Sunday, Pankaj, along with his female associate, allegedly caught the woman, smeared black colour on her face, and paraded her, subjecting her to public humiliation.During questioning, both accused confessed to the crime. Police said Pankaj failed to explain why he did not approach authorities regarding the alleged theft, adding that the motorcycle may indeed have been stolen. (With agency inputs)