A 19-year-old woman died after allegedly consuming rat poison following a gang-rape by six youths, including three minors, in Jhansi’s Gursarai area, police said on Tuesday. Her family said the accused recorded the assault and threatened to circulate the video if she disclosed the incident.
SSP Jhansi Vikas Kumar said five of the six accused had been arrested and were being questioned, while the sixth was absconding. The accused have been identified as Sushil, Ajay, Gullu, Chhotu, Krishna and another person. The exact ages of the accused are yet to be ascertained.
The incident was reported from Indi village under Gursarai police station. According to the complaint lodged by the woman’s father, the six youths had allegedly been harassing her since Sunday. The family had reportedly informed the families of the accused, but the harassment continued.
On Monday afternoon, the woman went to a cattle barn for some work when the six accused allegedly caught her and gang-raped her. The family alleged that the accused recorded the incident and threatened to make the video viral if she disclosed the assault.
“Distressed by the threat, the woman allegedly consumed rat poison,” according to victim’s family member. “Her condition deteriorated and she was taken to a private hospital in Gursarai around noon. She was treated and discharged after her condition reportedly improved.”
However, her condition worsened later at night and she was taken to a community health centre, where doctors declared her dead. The attending doctor informed police that the woman was brought dead at around 4 am on Tuesday.
Police took custody of the body and initiated proceedings for postmortem examination.
A case has been registered against six people, including three minors, under Section 70 (gang rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to police.
SSP Kumar said police are investigating the allegations and the circumstances leading to the woman’s death.
A preliminary inquiry found that one of the accused, Sushil, had known the woman for some time and had been in contact with her, police said. The claim of sexual assault and the circumstances surrounding the death are being investigated.
