Two held in Indore Army officers assault and friend’s rape case

Arrests made in gangrape case involving Army officers in Indore, sparking political clash between BJP and Congress.

A day after two young Army officers were allegedly assaulted and a female friend of theirs gangraped in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, police on Thursday (September 12, 2024) arrested two of the accused in connection with the case. The case has also triggered a political war of words between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Opposition Congress.

According to the police, two accused identified as Anil Barood and Pawan Vasuniya, residents of Manpur area, have been arrested while four men remain at large with multiple police teams searching for them. 

Badgonda police station in-charge Lokendra Singh Hirore told The Hindu that the police have identified the four men and 10 police teams are currently working to nab them. The four men also hail from different villages in Manpur area. 

The alleged incident took place in Indore district near Mhow-Mandleshwar road when the two Army officers aged 23 and 24 were out for a picnic with their two female friends late Wednesday evening. At around 2.30 a.m., a group of six men allegedly attacked an officer and one of the women when they were in a car, held them hostage and raped the woman. 

When the other officer and the woman, who were at a distance, heard the noise and reached the spot, the accused asked them to bring ₹10 lakh to free their friends. The officer, who was asked to bring money, then alerted his Army unit and local police. 

The two officers are undergoing the Young Officers course at the Infantry School in Mhow cantonment town. 

While the victims have alleged that one of the women was gangraped, Mr. Hirore said that a medical examination has ben conducted and rape can only be confirmed once its report comes.