New allegations of a gang-rape are emerging from India as six men are arrested and are scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
During a press meeting on Sunday, the Indian Inspector General, DK Arya, paraded five of the accused in front of camera, the men were wearing black hoods with eye holes, and their faces were not seen on camera.
Police say the six men raped and robbed a 36-year-old Swiss tourist on a cycling trip and beat her husband at their campsite near the temple town of Orchha on Friday. Stolen from the couple as well, was their cell phone, 10,000 rupees($185) and a laptop. Those items have been recovered by police.
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According to Indian police, at least four of the six men attacked the two in the couple’s tent at their forest campsite near Datia.It was also reported that the men then took the husband and tied him to a tree and raped his wife in front of him. At least one of the attackers was armed with a gun. Others were armed with sticks.
The men accused of the beating and rape, are members of a local tribe that live near where the couple were camping.
The woman was hospitalized for a short time after the attack and then was housed at a guesthouse in Datia during the initial investigation. They are now in New Delhi at the Swiss Embassy there. The Swiss Ambassador to India said in a statement that the couple will stay in India for the time being and will cooperate fully with the investigation and identification process. Police have asked the couple to return to Datia to possibly identify the suspects.
The four men accused of raping the woman have admitted to their crimes to the police, but under Indian law, their confessions to the officials are not admissible in court.
This newest case of gang-rape comes three months after the gang-rape of an Indian student that brought the problem of India’s rape epidemic to the attention of the world. That young woman died of her injuries.The men have yet to be convicted for the crime.
After the rape in December, the Indian government has increased the penalty for rape from a maximum of ten years to a maximum of 20 years. In instances where the victim dies from the attack, the death penalty can now be administered.