Seven booked for rape of college student in Surat

SURAT: Seven people have been booked in the alleged rape case of a 22-year-old college student of New City Light area of the city.
The student was raped by her friend on December 15 and he was helped in committing the crime by the six other accused.
Brijesh Patel, a resident of Kharwar Nagar, was helped by his bother Jigar Patel, father Gajendra and friends Ashwin, Rajju, Jethabhai and an unidentified person in allegedly raping the woman.
Police investigation revealed that the accused took the woman to Vadodara and raped her there for the first time. He had also shot a video and took photographs of her to blackmail and rape her repetitively. Police found some evidences that suggested that the video may have been shot by the rape survivor herself. She may have then sent it to the accused, police said, adding that it could be case of a love story gone sour. Police said the accused helped Patel in blackmailing the woman and also taking her in car to different locations.
“The accused are yet to be arrested. Police had gone to their houses but they were not found there,” said G R Patel, police inspector, Khatodara police station.
The rape survivor had claimed in her complaint that she was allegedly raped for the first time on December 15 and that she had known Brijesh Patel since their school days. Both used to study in the same school and had been friends for the past four years.
The rape survivor got engaged to another man recently, sources informed. Her fiancé’s family wanted her to end her relationship with Brijesh Patel but he was unwilling. The woman registered the complaint on Sunday after a few days of the incident. The families of the complainant and the prime accused belong to the same community and are into textile production.