Repalle : 3 Including Minor Arrested in Pregnant Woman Rape Case

Guntur: A four-month pregnant woman was allegedly gang-raped by three people, including a minor, after her husband was beaten up at the railway station in Repalle town, on Saturday midnight. The three accused were arrested within hours of the incident, said Bapatla district Superintendent of Police Vakul Jindal on Sunday.

Speaking to the media the  Bapatla SP said that the victim woman along with her husband and three children who were residents of Yerragondapalem in Prakasam district came to Repalle from Guntur in search of work. They were on the way to Nagayalanka in Krishna district and had taken shelter in the Repalle railway station on Saturday night as they could not find transport.

While they were sleeping on the cement benches on the platform, three miscreants entered the railway station at around 1 am. They were in a drunken state and asked the victim's husband the time. When he said that he had no watch they assaulted him and robbed Rs 750 from him. The victim went to rescue her husband. Upon seeing her, they grabbed her to a corner of the platform where they raped her.

Meanwhile, the man tried calling the railway police at the station, but no one responded. He then rushed to the local police station after some rickshaw drivers told him to call the cops. When the Repalle police rushed to the spot the miscreants fled from the scene upon hearing the police siren. The victim and her husband were shifted to Repalle government hospital for treatment and later to Ongole for better treatment

SP Vakul said that the perpetrators were traced and arrested by morning with the help of clues team, dog squad, and other evidence collected from the crime scene. They were identified as Paluboina Vijay Krishna (20), Paluchuri Nikhil, and a 17-year-old boy. The juvenile is said to be involved in three theft cases.

State Health Minister Vidadala Rajani said incidents related to women were sensitive and that the culprits would be punished. She visited the Government Hospital on Ongole where the victim was undergoing treatment on Sunday. She handed over a cheque of Rs 2 lakh on behalf of the government to the victim’s husband and assured them of all help.

AP Women’s Commission Chairperson Vasireddy Padma said that the police responded quickly in the case and all efforts will be made to see that the accused get maximum punishment. The Railway officials have been asked to submit a full report on the safety and security arrangements for women at railway stations. State Social Welfare Minister Meruga Nagarjuna said the government would take steps to ensure that the strictest punishment is meted out to the rape accused.

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