Pregnant Woman Allegedly Gang-Raped While Waiting For Train With Husband, 3 Children

A pregnant woman in India was allegedly gang-raped, while she was waiting to board an overnight train with her husband and three children, media reports said Monday.

The police said all three accused, including a juvenile, have been arrested after a complaint was filed by the victim's husband, media outlet NDTV reported.

The horrific incident took place in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The crime unfolded on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, when the family was moving to Krishna district from Guntur in search of work. The family of five was sleeping on benches in the station when they were woken up by the three men.

The police believe the three men were intoxicated at the time of the crime. They attacked the husband, and badly beat him up. When his wife intervened, they allegedly dragged her away from the station. The husband, who managed to escape, tried to raise an alarm and look for railway police personnel, but could not find anyone nearby.

Later, when he came looking for his wife, he found her in some bushes nearby.

She was then shifted to a nearby hospital for medical examination. The woman is currently being treated at a hospital, NDTV reported. The current health condition of the pregnant woman remains unclear.

The police identified the adults as P Vijayakrishna (20) and P Nikhil (25), the New Indian Express reported.

“Police pressed sniffer dogs into service and tracked the location where one of the accused had changed his shirt. All three were arrested by 1 pm on Sunday,” an officer told local media.

The accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 376D (gang rape), 394 (robbery) and 307 read with 34 (attempt to murder).

“We are collecting technical evidence including CCTV footage and the charge sheet will be filed as soon as possible to ensure punishment to the accused,’’ senior police officer Vakul Jindal told the New Indian Express.

Local authorities and the state's woman's commission's chief have expressed shock over the horrific crime, and urged the police to carry out a thorough investigation into the matter.