College student gang-raped in Karnataka; three held

Bengaluru, Dec 18 Police in Karnataka have arrested three persons, including the victim's lover, in connection with the alleged gang rape of a college student reported from Ramanagara district on Thursday.

The arrests were made following a complaint lodged by the 19-year-old victim, a college student.

According to police, one of the accused, identified as her lover, developed physical intimacy with the victim, recorded their private moments, and later used the video to blackmail her.

The arrested persons have been identified as Vikas, the victim's lover, and his friends Prashanth and Chetan. Vikas and Prashanth are students of a private college in Bengaluru, while Chetan works as an electrician in Magadi town.

Police said Vikas had been pursuing the victim for nearly seven months, repeatedly pleading with her to reciprocate his feelings. After developing intimacy, he allegedly took her to his friend Chetan’s house, where he engaged in a physical relationship with her and secretly recorded the act on his mobile phone.

Vikas later sent the video to the victim and allegedly blackmailed her, threatening to make it public unless she complied with his demands. He is accused of forcing her to meet him whenever he wanted.

Subsequently, police said, Vikas again took the victim to Chetan's house, where all three accused allegedly committed the crime. Unable to endure the harassment and abuse, the victim approached the Magadi police station and lodged a complaint.

Police said accused Chetan is married and that the incident occurred when his wife had gone to her parental home for delivery. Investigators have also gathered information suggesting that Vikas had multiple affairs. Police have reportedly obtained a video in which he is seen boasting about exploiting women.

Further investigation is underway.

It may be recalled that the Parappana Agrahara police in Bengaluru arrested four men on July 10 for allegedly gang-raping a 34-year-old woman at her friend’s house and later robbing both the victim and her friend.

In another incident, two women -- an Israeli tourist and an Indian homestay operator -- were gang-raped, and a man was killed in an attack near the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hampi in Karnataka in March this year.

The victims were stargazing with three male tourists near a lake late at night when they were attacked by a group of men.

In September this year, seven persons were arrested on charges of gang-raping a minor girl in Mangaluru. The assault was filmed and circulated, triggering widespread outrage.

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