American woman gangraped in Kerala, 2 held

Kollam (Kerala), August 2

An American woman, who had arrived in India recently and was staying at an ashram near here, was allegedly gangraped by two men.

The accused men were caught on Tuesday and an FIR under various Sections, including 376D (gangrape) and 376(2)(n) (repeatedly raping same woman), of the IPC, has been registered against them, police said.

“The arrest of the men is yet to be recorded. They are presently in custody,” an officer of Karunagappally police station said.

The incident occurred on July 31 when the 44-year-old woman was sitting alone at a beach near the ashram.

Police said that according to the woman’s complaint, the men came up to her and offered to share cigarettes and when she refused, they offered her rum.

On drinking the alcohol, she became intoxicated and thereafter, the men put her between them on a bike and took her to a nearby vacant house where she was gangraped repeatedly, police said referring to the woman’s complaint.

The woman had lodged a complaint on the night of August 1. She had arrived in Kerala on July 22, they said.