22-yr-old gang-raped in moving car, 1 held

The Ahmedabad police on Friday arrested a woman in connection with a case filed by a 22-year-old who had charged that she was abducted and gang-raped in a moving SUV three months back.

Police said that Ahmedabad-resident Yamini Nair was arrested from Rajkot Airport in the evening by a joint team of the Ahmedabad Crime Branch and Rajkot police.

An official said that Yamini was one of the seven people, including the victim’s boyfriend, who had been booked for abduction and rape based on the victim’s complaint.

As per the FIR, the victim who was travelling on her two-wheeler was intercepted by an SUV near Nehru Nagar circle in the city in March. She was forced inside the SUV by four masked men, who took turns to rape her in the moving SUV and filmed the act.

One accused also inflicted injuries on the victim.

Later, these men took her phone and purse, before abandoning her. However, these were returned to her later by two women.

However, the victim’s plight did not end here. The accused started blackmailing her using the video and asked her to visit a hotel. Yamini also demanded Rs 50,000 from the victim.

The victim claimed that of the four men in the car, she got the names of Vrishabh Maru and Gaurav Dalmia from their conversation. Apparently, the victim had become friends with Vrishabh on social media some time back and he was said to be miffed with her over her affair with another man.

Though victim gave a gold ring and cash, she was again abducted and molested in a moving car, this time by the three of the same group and who told her that they were doing so at Dalmia’s behest.

The victim, after contemplating suicide, approached women helpline Abhayam. It is only after being counselled by policewomen did she file a complaint.

“We have taken the victim’s statement and got her medical checkup. We have formed four teams to investigate and nab the culprits,” Panna Mamaya, ACP, Women’s Crime Wing, said.

The police is also collecting CCTV footage, scanning mobile phone records and social media accounts of the accused for evidence. The police has identified seven accused in the case, including two women. “We are trying to identify the vehicle used in the crime and reach the owner. We hope to crack the case within a few days,” J K Bhatt, Jt CP, Crime Branch, said.