Spanish tourist Gang raped in India
By Mikaela Viqueira and Shubhomoy Chatterjee
Dumka, India, Mar 3 (EFE).-
Indian police have identified suspects involved in the harrowing attack and gang rape of a Spanish tourist traveling with her husband in eastern India, officials said on Sunday.
The assault on the Spanish couple, on a bike tour, occurred while they were in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand on Friday night, sparking national and international outcry.
While only three suspects have been arrested, special investigation teams are intensifying efforts, conducting raids, and gathering evidence to ensure justice in the deeply disturbing case that has once again put the spotlight on India’s battle against sexual violence.
“The (arrested) accused have confessed to their involvement in the matter. The others involved will soon be arrested, as we have received their names,” Superintendent of Police Pitambar Singh Kherwar told reporters.
“Since it is a very serious case, two SITs (special investigation teams) have been set up. One will look into the evidence collection, and a second team has been formed to capture the remaining accused.”
According to the authorities, the couple, traveling for several months to visit countries in Asia, had set up a tent in Dumka district, a remote area in Jharkhand, on Friday night, when several men attacked them while they were sleeping.
The victims managed to contact a police patrol around 2 am on Saturday and were taken to a local hospital.
Recounting the horror, the husband said they were assaulted while sleeping in their tent, with the attackers threatening them with death and raping his wife, a Spanish citizen of Brazilian origin.
The couple appeared before a court on Sunday to record their testimony before a judge, according to a police source close to the case.
Since last night, the couple has been staying at a government guest house in Dumka.
“The couple is here under protection,” said Dumka deputy commissioner Anjaneyulu Dodde.
The police have asked the victims to refrain from making public statements to avoid affecting the investigation.
According to sources, the couple had traveled from Spain to Pakistan, then Bangladesh, before entering India, with plans to continue their journey to Nepal.
The horrifying incident sparked social media fury, highlighting the rate of sexual violence in India.
US-based writer and journalist David Josef Volodzko shared on X that “the level of sexual aggression I witnessed while living in India for several years was unlike anywhere else I have ever been.”
“Once a total stranger, a British woman, asked to sleep in my bed and pretend to be my girlfriend on a train ride because a man walking by in the hall had licked her foot and she felt unsafe,” Volodzko said.
“I never met a female traveler who had not been groped, assaulted, or worse, even if they had only been in the country for mere days.”
The writer said he loved India, which “always will be one of my favorite places in the world.”
“But I have advised female friends who asked me not to travel there alone.”
India, often criticized as one of the most dangerous places for women, reported an average of nearly 90 rapes every day in 2022, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau. However, activists argue that the actual number could be higher due to underreporting driven by victim stigma.
The 2012 gang rape and murder of an Indian student sparked global outrage, highlighting India’s levels of sexual violence. EFE
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