Woman booked in Pocso Act case, ends life in hospital

A woman who was booked for abetting a rape attempt, ended her life by hanging in a bathroom at the district hospital in Vijayapura, early on Friday.

Gandhi Chowk police said that the deceased, Swathi (35), a resident of Jambagi village, had been named as a co-accused in a Pocso case registered at the Vijayapura Rural police station.

Police said Swathi had brought a girl to her house on January 17 when a man by name Suresh Harijan attempted to rape the girl. The frightened girl raised an alarm and villagers rushed to her help. After the rape attempt came to light, the residents thrashed Swathi and Suresh. While the girl's family lodged a plaint against Swathi and Suresh, the duo had also complained that they were assaulted and got themselves admitted at the district hospital. Both the complaints were registered on the night of January 17.

District surgeon Dr Mahendra Kapase told DH that Swathi was not in her bed in the hospital around 3 am. "After a search, she was found hanging from her clothes in the bathroom and we informed the police," he said.

Meanwhile, a girl, who was raped in a village in Indi taluk on January 11, has said that she was raped for rejecting the marriage proposal. She said that the perpetrator, who had covered his face, introduced himself as her uncle's son while she was grazing sheep. He took the girl near a shed in a isolated area on the pretext of giving her the mobile left by her uncle, where she was asked to marry. Upon her denial, the girl was gagged and raped, the girl narrated.