Three held for gang-rape of college student in Bengaluru South District

Bengaluru South District police arrested three men on December 17 for allegedly raping a woman from their village and recording the act on camera. The trio later shared the clip among themselves.

The accused have been identified as Vikas and Prashanth, both college students, and Chetan, an electrician — all residents of a village in Magadi taluk. The woman, a college student, alleged that the assault took place in October at Chetan’s house.

According to the police, Vikas, the prime accused, allegedly developed a friendship with the woman and promised to marry her. He established a physical relationship with the woman. The accused allegedly filmed the act without the knowledge of the woman and showed the clip to the other accused. The woman alleged that Vikas used the video clip to threaten her and sexually assaulted her repeatedly.

In October, Vikas allegedly threatened the victim with the same video clip and forcibly sexually assaulted her along with the two other accused, which was also filmed. The video was later leaked by one of the accused and was circulated on WhatsApp. The victim informed her family and approached the police.

Police have seized the mobile phones of the accused and are reviewing the data. A senior police officer said they are examining who filmed the video and with whom it was shared.

R. Srinivas Gowda, Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru South District, confirmed the arrests to The Hindu and the sections invoked in the FIR. The FIR has been registered under Sections 70 (gang rape), 71 (punishment for repeat offenders), and 64 (rape) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.