Vizag Law Student Gang-Raped, Blackmailed With Clips, Boyfriend Main Accused

A 20-year-old law student in Visakhapatnam was gangraped, allegedly by her boyfriend and three of his friends. The criminal act was recorded and the accused blackmailed her for months. Broken by the harassment, the young woman attempted suicide, but her father managed to save her. She then told her family about the horror she was going through, and they backed her up to file a police complaint.

Visakhapatnam city police yesterday said the four accused have been arrested under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections relating to gangrape, voyeurism, criminal intimidation, along with sections of the Information Technology Act.

Visakhapatnam police commissioner Shanka Brata Bagchi said, "All four accused (were) arrested and remanded. The victim's boyfriend and his three close friends are the accused."

Police have said that the woman and her boyfriend were in a relationship for more than a year and had also promised to marry her. On August 13, he took her to his friend's room and she was sexually assaulted there. His other friends filmed the act. They threatened her with circulating the visuals and sexually assaulted her, police have said.

This harassment continued for months. Driven to the edge, the woman attempted suicide on Monday, but her father managed to rescue her in time. She then opened up about what she was going through. Backed by her family, the woman then filed a police complaint.

The Opposition YSR Congress Party has hit out at the N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP government over the incident.

"A law student was gang-raped by four youths in Visakhapatnam. The atrocity was filmed on a cell phone and the victim was threatened many times. The victim tried to commit suicide because she could not stop the harassment of the accused.. The father saved her. How many more girls should be victimized by the incompetence of the coalition government," it has said, tagging the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and Andhra Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha.

Earlier, the state Home Minister had questioned why Andhra Pradesh has been at the top in crime for the past five years. "Leaving the existing 'Nirbhaya' Act in the wind, they have fooled many people by playing around in the name of Disha Act. Since the formation of our coalition government, we have caught any incident in one day. We sent him to remand within 48 hours," she had said.