Gang-rape accused robbed lone travellers, molested women
Rahul Manohar and Sumanth Gowda, students of Ravi Varma Art Institute, Mysuru, launched a campaign on Sunday through their art calling for hanging of the rapists of an MBA student.
Mysuru: Police have secured a 10-day custody of the accused in the MBA student gang-rape case from the 3rd JMFC court here.
According to sources, the accused revealed during interrogation that they robbed lone travellers, young couple and women near Chamundi Hills earlier. They became emboldened and carried on their criminal activities as none of their victims filed complaints with the police fearing damage to their family honour.
The Chamundi foothills became their place of resting and partying after working petty jobs like loading and unloading vegetables at Bandipalya APMC yard. They reportedly told the police that they found the place safe for their nefarious activities as the victims did not approach the police.
According to sources, a total of seven members were involved in the gang-rape case.
One of the accused reportedly told the police during interrogation that he killed the father of a girl for rejecting his marriage proposal. Another accused spent some time in jail after he was arrested by Nazarbad police in Mysuru on January 9 for stealing sandal wood worth Rs 5 lakh from a government office premises. He is facing trial in more than 5 criminal cases.
Meanwhile, the reluctance of the gang-rape victim to file a complaint is said to be proving a major hurdle to the investigation in the case. Sources said that Home Minister Araga Jnanendra spoke to his Maharashtra counterpart on Saturday in this connection. A team of police officers have left for Maharashtra to meet the victim and her family members to persuade them to cooperate in bringing the criminals to book.
After failing to get the girl to give a statement under section 164 of CrPC, the police have registered an FIR based on the complaint by the boy.
Police teams continued their search for the remaining two accused, the alleged masterminds in the case, in Tirupur and Satyamangala in Tamil Nadu.
A special police team came to Mysuru and collected samples from the accused for analysis at the laboratory in Karnataka Police Academy here.