Woman ‘raped’ after being lured to belated birthday party in Bengaluru; 5 held
BENGALURU: A woman was allegedly raped after being lured to a party on the pretext of a belated birthday celebration, and five men have been arrested in connection with the incident, police said on Saturday. The incident took place on June 30 within the limits of Talaghattapura Police Station in Bengaluru, according to news agency PTI. According to police, the woman stated in her complaint that she had become acquainted with a man named Somashekhar. The two had known each other for some time, remained in regular contact over the phone, and had met on several occasions. A few days before the incident, it was her birthday. Since Somashekhar had not been able to wish her in person, he allegedly invited her to Talaghattapura to celebrate the occasion together. Acting on the invitation, the woman reached the area around 5 pm on June 30 and arrived near a hotel as instructed, police said. The complainant alleged that Somashekhar had also invited some of his friends and asked her to accompany them to his house, saying they would celebrate the birthday there. When she suggested going to a hotel instead, he allegedly insisted that they first visit his house and later head to a hotel. Four of his friends then escorted her to the house, where they spent some time together and had food. Later, Somashekhar and his four friends allegedly gave her a soft drink. After consuming it, she began feeling dizzy and drowsy and was unable to remain fully conscious, a senior police officer said. According to the complaint, while she was in a semi-conscious state, one of the five men entered the room and allegedly raped her, while the others remained seated in the hall outside. Police said the woman was not fully conscious at the time and could not immediately identify the alleged perpetrator.“As soon as the complaint was received, a woman Sub-Inspector counselled the survivor, reassured her and recorded her detailed statement. During the investigation, it emerged that the person who had allegedly raped her was identified as Amaresh,” the officer said. Based on the investigation, police arrested Amaresh, Somashekhar and three others. All five accused have been remanded to judicial custody.(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
