19-year-old woman gang-raped in Maharashtra

Nagpur: A 19-year-old woman was allegedly raped by five persons in a forest area in Kuhi tehsil of Nagpur district, where she had gone with her boyfriend, police said on Sunday.

The incident occurred on March 17, police said, adding that the victim had recently appeared for Class XII exam of the state board.

The accused have been identified as Akash Gulabrao Lende (26), Sunil alias Sumit Yeshwant Gawali (27), Suraj Bandu Mane (22), Chandrashekhar Ravindra Kadav (19) and Pankaj Vilas Kuthe (22), an official said.

The accused even videographed the crime and threatened her that they would circulate it on social media, he addded.

"The woman had gone to Kuhi town to meet her boyfriend. The couple then



went to Khairi village on his motorcycle in a forest area. However, their motocycle developed some technical snag. Just then, the accused came to the spot and forcibly took away the woman to an isolated spot, where they sexually assaulted her," the official said.

The victim and her boyfriend managed to escape from their clutches later, he said.

Four days later, the woman lodged a complaint against them, following which the accused were arrsted, police said.

An offence under IPC section 376 (D) (gang-rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) was registered at Kuhi police station in Nagpur Rural.

The accused will be produced in a court on Monday.