Woman stripped, molested before lover in UP forest; five arrested

Five were arrested in a shocking incident when half a dozen youths allegedly stripped and molested a woman inside a forested area near Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur town before her lover, made a video of the same and uploaded it online.

Police said that five accused persons, including two teens, were arrested after they were identified from the video and that efforts were on to trace at least one more.

The video shows the accused persons stripping the woman and also molesting her even as she struggles to free herself and begs them to let her go. The youths are also seen hitting her and her boyfriend with sticks and belts. At least two accused persons are heard demanding money from the couple and threatening to upload the video on social media if not paid.

The incident occurred a few days ago, but it came to light only after the video surfaced on social media.

Police said that the woman was sent for medical examination and more stringent sections of the IPC would be invoked on the basis of the medical report.

Sources said that young couples often visited the forested area, which was close to the city, as it was abandoned and not frequented by many. In the past, incidents of assault and blackmail of couples had been reported from the area.

A similar incident occurred a few years ago in UP's Rampur district, when a girl traveling with her friend was seen being molested and groped by several youths in a video, which had gone viral on social media.