19-yr-old gangraped in Varanasi: 3 held, total arrests now 12

“Nine persons were arrested earlier, and three more were held today, taking the total number of arrests to 12. Of them, 10 were named in the FIR, while the roles of the other two emerged during investigation,” said Assistant Superintendent of Police, Varanasi, Neetu.

The role of a few more persons is still under investigation, police said. The victim’s medical examination has been completed and her statement has been recorded before a magistrate.

Police said that the victim told them that she knew some among the 12 arrested — all in their twenties.

Police are also trying to obtain CCTV footage from locations where the victim claimed she was abducted by the accused. “The victim has not been able to identify some of the places where she was taken,” said a police officer.

According to the police, the woman’s father registered a missing person’s complaint on April 4, alleging that his 19-year-old daughter had been missing since March 29. That same evening, the police traced the woman in Varanasi.

The following day, on April 5, the woman along with her parents approached the local police station and lodged a formal complaint, alleging that she had been gangraped and wrongfully confined. On the basis of her complaint, an FIR was registered under relevant sections, including charges of gangrape and criminal confinement.

In her statement, the woman alleged that she was drugged by some of the accused and subsequently taken to multiple locations in Varanasi, including a hotel and a café, where she was sexually assaulted.