BHOPAL: A 20-year-old NEET aspirant from Madhya Pradesh’s Satna was allegedly gang-raped in Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot after three men, posing as forest department officials, overpowered and tied up her minor boyfriend.The incident took place around 3 pm on Wednesday in the forested Devangana Valley, about 12 km from the Chitrakoot district headquarters and 60 km from Satna.The survivor, a resident of Satna who is preparing for the NEET while staying in Kota, Rajasthan, had come to Chitrakoot to visit her 17-year-old boyfriend, a class 12 student. They had become freinds on social media.According to the FIR, the couple had gone to Devangana Valley on a motorcycle and were sitting on a hill when three men arrived on another motorcycle.Claiming to be forest department personnel, they questioned the couple before allegedly assaulting the boy with a belt and tying his hands and feet with a gamchha. Police said the accused then allegedly dragged the woman into nearby bushes and gangraped her while threatening to throw her off the hill if she raised an alarm.Investigators detain a man they suspect one of alleged rapistsThe boyfriend later managed to free himself and alerted the police after finding mobile network coverage some distance away. According to the FIR, the couple had ridden to the hilltop at Devangana Valley on a motorcycle and were making a social media reel when three men arrived on another motorcycle. The boy later managed to untie himself and reached the woman, who was in shock, says sources.As there was no mobile network at the spot, he moved downhill before calling the police emergency helpline. A police response vehicle reached the area and shifted both to hospital. The woman underwent a medical examination, while the boy received treatment for his injuries and was later discharged.An FIR has been registered on the woman’s complaint. Police are examining CCTV footage from roads leading out of the area, which purportedly shows three men leaving on a motorcycle after the incident. One suspect has been detained for questioning, while efforts are underway to identify and trace the remaining two.Police said two teams have been constituted to investigate the case and are working on multiple leads, including CCTV footage and technical evidence, to identify all those involved. The investigation is ongoing.“We have recorded the statement of a local resident who reportedly witnessed the accused arriving at the spot and assaulting the couple. We have also secured CCTV footage that could help identify the perpetrators. Efforts are on to arrest them at the earliest,” a police officer associated with the investigation told TOI .Additional DG, Prayagraj Zone, Jyoti Narayan, visited the crime scene on Thursday and directed police teams to expedite the probe and ensure the arrest of the accused at the earliest. (With inputs from Pathikrit Chakraborty in Lucknow)(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
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