Married housewife raped by village official and associate

A 19-year-old married woman was allegedly raped by a village official (lowest-level revenue staff) and his associate in Chhattisgarh's Bemetara district, the police said here today.}

A case has been registered against the accused official Chandrika Chouhan (38) and his associate Ramswaroop (33) based on the victim's complaint in Pirha village under Dadhi police station limits, the Station House Officer (SHO) M S Markam told PTI.

"A manhunt has been launched to nab both the absconding men," the SHO said.

The woman, who was recently married, had arrived at Pirha village under the Kurud police station limits (Dhamtari district), along with her husband to earn their livelihood, and worked as labourers in a brick kiln there, the SHO said.

As per the survivor's complaint, on the intervening night between Sunday and Monday, the two accused men, who were allegedly in a drunken state, began shouting in front of their house.

When the husband opened the door, they entered into an argument with him about some unknown issue and asked him to leave the place, after which he went to inform his landlord about the issue, the SHO said.

However, when the husband went to inform his landlord, village official Chandrika Chouhan and his associate Ramswaroop found the wife alone in the house and allegedly raped her, the SHO said.

Soon after the incident, both the men fled the spot, the SHO said. Later, the rape woman and her husband lodged a complaint at the police station yesterday, the SHO said.

The accused were booked under Section 376 (d) (committing gangrape), Section 450 (house trespass to commit an offence), Section 506(b) (criminal intimidation) and Section 34 (common intention to commit an offence), he said, adding that efforts are on to catch them.