Rajasthan: 3 arrested for raping minor on college campus
Three college students have been arrested for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl in Rajasthan's Jodhpur on Sunday, PTI reported. According to the police, the minor and her boyfriend—who was also assaulted by the accused—eloped from Ajmer on Saturday. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot directed the police to take strict action against the culprits.
Accused offered food, place to stay
Preliminary investigation revealed that the couple took a bus from Ajmer and reached Jodhpur around 10:30am on Saturday. They went to a guest house but left soon after the caretaker misbehaved with the girl. After that, the accused—Samandar Singh Bhati, Dharm Pal Singh, and Bhattam Singh—approached them, offered food, and promised a place to stay.
Girl was raped in front of boyfriend
Around 4:00am on Sunday, the culprits took the couple to a hockey ground at the old campus of Jai Narain Vyas University (JNVU). They held the boy hostage and thrashed him while allegedly taking turns raping the girl. The culprits fled as soon as morning walkers started coming to the campus. The boyfriend then asked people for help, who called the police.
Police nabbed accused hours after crime
After being notified, the police launched a hunt for the accused along with a dog squad and a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team. Hours later, the accused, who tried to flee, were caught in a house in Ganeshpura near Ratanada in Jodhpur. The police said they also arrested the guest house caretaker who misbehaved with the victim.
Culprits allegedly linked to ABVP
The police informed that the accused were campaigning for a student leader who was seeking a ticket from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), for student elections at JNVU. However, ABVP National Secretary Hushyar Singh Meena said the accused have no links with the organization.
