A horrific incident unfolded in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district as a A 13-year-old girl was gang-raped by three youths so savagely, police said Wednesday, that she lost consciousness due to severe bleeding, after which the three took her for dead and threw her into a river in MP’s Sagar. She drowned. The assailants, identified as Deepak Patel (25), Akshay Sen (19), and Shyam Patai, had befriended the girl just three days prior to the heinous crime.
The girl, who went missing from Bilhara on April 20, was reported by her family to the police. Despite their efforts, she remained untraceable until her lifeless body was discovered floating in the Dehar river in Rangir, approximately 35km away, on April 23.
Investigators pieced together the events leading to the girl's death, uncovering a call received on the night of April 19 that led them to the perpetrators. It was revealed that the trio had lured the girl into a trap, viciously attacked her, and callously discarded her unconscious body into the river, assuming her dead.
This tragic incident sheds light on the alarming prevalence of violence against women in India. The country, once again, finds itself in the spotlight for its grim statistics on sexual violence and human trafficking. According to data from India's National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), an average of nearly 90 rapes are reported every day in 2022. However, the actual number is likely much higher, with many cases going unreported due to fear, stigma, and distrust in law enforcement.
India's reputation as the most dangerous country for women, particularly in terms of cultural practices and sexual violence, underscores the urgent need for comprehensive measures to address and prevent such atrocities.