A shocking and harrowing incident has come to light as a widow has come forward to report that she was subjected to rape and gang rape by a group of seven individuals over a span of eight years.
The Beed Police commenced an investigation into the matter after the victim gathered courage and disclosed the identities of her tormentors, who subjected her to repeated acts of sexual violence, including unnatural acts, at various locations within the district. The authorities are anticipating arrests in the near future, as stated by an investigating officer.
According to the police, the ordeal began in 2014 when the widow, then 24 years old, inadvertently left her purse in an auto-rickshaw while returning home late in the evening. The driver contacted her and requested that she retrieve it from his residence. However, upon her arrival, he overpowered her, raped her, and even filmed the assault. Fearful of the social stigma associated with being a widow, she chose to remain silent.
Subsequently, the auto-rickshaw driver, identified as Sandeep Pingle, continued to exploit her by coercing her into meeting him at various locations. He persisted in subjecting her to rape, disregarding her pleas and protests against the ongoing abuse.
In 2015, Pingle shared the video clip of the initial assault with his relatives, Gorakh Ingole and Balaji Ingole, who then proceeded to threaten, blackmail, and rape the widow on multiple occasions.
The investigating officer revealed that in approximately 2020, Gorakh Ingole took her on his motorcycle to an isolated spot in the hills of Hivra, where four of his friends joined them. They subjected the victim to a prolonged gang rape that lasted over six hours, during which they also engaged in unnatural sexual acts. Despite her agonized pleas and profuse bleeding, they callously ignored her suffering and continued their heinous acts.
In 2021, the widow discovered she was pregnant and informed her perpetrators. In response, Gorakh Ingole forcibly took her to a clinic for an abortion. In her desperate attempt to escape the tormentors, the widow relocated to Majalgaon, where she secured employment as a restaurant manager. However, her oppressors relentlessly pursued her, and shamelessly continued their heinous act of exploiting her.
Finally, the widow decided to rise up against her perpetrators and lodged a complaint with the Majalgaon Police on Thursday (May 19), recounting her nightmarish experiences of enduring mental, physical, and sexual assaults, as well as the injuries and torment she silently suffered for numerous years.
Recognizing the severity of the crime, the Majalgaon Police promptly registered a Zero First Information Report (FIR) and subsequently transferred the case to the Beed City Police for further investigation, as confirmed by an official from the Majalgaon police station.
The accused individuals have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rape, conspiracy, gang rape, abduction, blackmail, and other relevant offenses, added the official. (Edited)