A 21-year-old woman from Jammu and Kashmir has alleged that she was gangraped by two men in the forests of North Kashmir earlier this month. According to the police, the woman filed a complaint on July 25, stating that the incident occurred 22 days prior, when she was on an outing with a friend.
The two suspects, 22-year-old Shakir Ahmad Lone and 27-year-old Mohammad Ashraf Dar, have been arrested and are currently in custody. The police reported that the entire incident was recorded on the suspects’ phones. The woman claimed that she and her friend were walking in the Dragbal area of North Kashmir when the two accused men started following them, harassing them, and eventually beating them up.
The Senior Superintendent of Police, Gurinderpal Singh, stated that the suspects chased the woman’s friend away from the scene and then took turns to rape the woman. During the investigation, the complainant was able to identify the suspects by their names, Shakir and Ashraf, which led to their arrest. The two men, residents of Jalsheeri in Baramulla, worked as drivers.
The suspects have been booked for gang rape and criminal intimidation under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. According to the police, both suspects disclosed their involvement in the crime during sustained interrogation. The mobile phone allegedly used to record the crime has also been recovered from their possession.
The police are currently conducting further investigations to collect scientific, medical, digital, and other corroborative evidence in accordance with the law. SSP Singh stated that the investigation is ongoing to ensure that all necessary evidence is collected.
