Woman 'gang raped by three men' after stopping to urinate in forest on way home

The woman was returning home with her nephew after a hospital visit when they stopped at a gas station. She then went to a forested area to urinate and was attacked by three men

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A tribal woman in India was reportedly gang raped in July while traveling with her nephew, when she stopped to urinate in a forested area in Odisha's Angul district.

According to a complaint, the woman and her nephew were returning home from a hospital visit in the Chhendipada area of Angul around 3:00 p. m.

They had stopped at a gas station for food and to refuel their motorcycle.

While at the stop, the woman went into a nearby forested area to urinate. It was then that three men arrived on a tractor and sexually assaulted her.

The trio allegedly dragged her to another remote location, away from both the gas station and the forested area, and "gang raped" her. After the assault, the men fled the scene, according to the complaint, reports the Express US.

The woman informed her family of the incident after she finally made it home and filed the complaint weeks later, on August 5. Within 24 hours of filing, three men, including two minors, were arrested in connection with the crime.

Police formed three separate teams to investigate the case under the direct supervision of the superintendent of police. A forensic team and dog squads were also dispatched for the investigation.

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During the arrests, police seized the tractor the men allegedly used, their cellphones, the clothes they were wearing at the time of the assault, and other biological evidence.

At the time of the arrests, police treated the incident as a "special report" and a "Red Flag" case, indicating a high-profile investigation that authorities are closely monitoring due to public concern or its extreme nature.

The Angul police also stated they would request the court to expedite the trial of the case to ensure swift and strict punishments for the suspects.

Local outlets report that violence and crimes against women in India are on the rise as poor conviction and chargesheeting rates increase.

In late August, a 21 year old woman was allegedly gang-raped by six people in a passenger van on a state highway. According to a complaint filed with the police, the survivor was assaulted in the moving van and later abandoned as she screamed for help.

The victim's mother said her daughter knew two of the accused, whom she had met during the Makar Festival celebrations in Bangiripose earlier this year. The two had exchanged phone numbers with her and promised to arrange a job in a private company.

Similarly, in an unrelated case, Odisha Police arrested three people, including a minor, for allegedly raping an 11-year-old girl over a month in the Mayurbhank district.

Among those arrested was the survivor's brother-in-law. The arrests were made after the girl's mother filed a complaint on August 3, alleging that her daughter had been assaulted at separate locations on different days.