20-year-old woman gangraped near Somnath Temple

Junagadh Superintendent of Police Harikrishna Patel confirmed the incident. “The woman was raped and the two accused have been arrested. Investigations are on,” he said.

According to the police, the woman and her love interest, Mohan Marwadi (25), are both residents of Jagtap society of Maninagar in Ahmedabad. They had arrived in the town on the night of December 2 and had checked into Bharat Hotel at Bhidiya plot. Apparently, the two were married and were in an extra-marital relationship.

Kanaksinh Vala (32), a constable with the Prabhas Patan police station, is the main accused. He, along with an accomplice, Pradipsinh Jethva, checked into the hotel and threatened the couple. They looted cash worth Rs 3,000 from the couple and abducted the woman in a car (no. GJ 8D 9542). Mohan was roughed up and forced to flee from the scene, the police said.

The woman was taken to an agriculture farm owned by Jethva, on the outskirts of Veraval city, where she was raped. Later, both the accused took the woman to the Veraval railway station and made her board a train to Rajkot. In the train, she was accompanied by a stranger believed to be another accomplice of the two. She de-boarded the train at Junagadh station and somehow managed to reach home.

After she revealed the crime, Veraval police brought her back to Veraval and lodged the complaint.

Inspector B J Ninama of Veraval city police and investigating officer said, “Both the accused will be produced before court on Tuesday and we will seek their remand.”

Ninama said further that there are still many things that are subject to investigation. Medical examination of the victim and the accused will be carried out, for which forensic help has been sought, he added.

Meanwhile, Patel said that the matter came to light during a Lok Durbar on December 13 in Veraval city.

Immediately, he issued necessary orders to the local crime branch (LCB) to investigate the matter. On the night of December 14, an LCB team led by Inspector J K Zala detained a car (no GJ 8D 9542) from Keshod city and nabbed two persons including a police constable.

Initial interrogation revealed that both were directly involved in the crime and the car in which they were traveling was the same vehicle they had used on December 2.