MP: 5 men rape woman for 7 hrs; cops fight over jurisdiction, delay filing FIR

Bhopal: A 38-year-old woman was allegedly raped by five men for about seven hours near Obaidullaganj railway station near Bhopal, police said on Wednesday.

The victim, who works as a labourer in Sehore district's Budhni, alleged that she had earlier approached Obaidullaganj police station but a policeman there asked her to go to Habibganj GRP station.

The incident took place on the night of November 18, but it was reported on Monday evening, Habibganj Government Railway Police (GRP) Station In-charge B L Sen said.

"Around 6.30 pm on Saturday, she was waiting for a train at Obaidullaganj station to reach Budhni when she met one of her acquaintances. He told her that instead of going by train, he could arrange someone to drop her on a motorcycle," Sen said.

Trusting him, the woman agreed to go with a man on his motorcycle, although she did not know him, police said.

"However, instead of dropping her at her village near Budhni, the man took her to a deserted place and raped her," Sen said.

The man then called his four associates who then took her to a railway under-bridge near Obaidullaganj station, 35 kms from here, in a jeep and sexually assaulted her there. It was only around 2 am when they set the woman free, he said.

Thereafter, she somehow managed to reach home on Sunday morning and lodged a complaint with Habibganj Government Railway Police (GRP) on Monday, Sen said.

Sen said the medical examination report of the victim is awaited.

"We will soon arrest the accused, who were booked under IPC section 376D (gang rape) and other relevant sections," he added.

Meanwhile, Head Constable Janakram said the victim also complained that she had reached Obaidullaganj police station, but one of the policemen, sitting outside the station, had asked her to approach Habibganj GRP station, instead of registering a case.

Obaidullaganj police station in-charge Piyush Charles, however, denied the allegation.

"The victim neither came to the police station, nor did she talk to any of the police personnel here. This police station is located on the national highway. I am not aware if any outside person or the policeman of any other station asked her to go to GRP Habibganj police station," he said.

On October 31, a 19-year old student was allegedly raped by four men near Habibganj Railway Station, when she was returning home after attending a coaching class.

The survivor, daughter of a police couple, had to make rounds of different police stations to get her complaint registered as police officers feuded over jurisdiction.

After a public outrage over the delay in filing an FIR, five police personnel had been suspended, while three others had been transferred.

In a separate incident, a 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped by three men, including a 65-year-old watchman, repeatedly over three months in Bhopal following which the accused were arrested on November 16.