Karnataka: Woman Home Guard Gang-Raped After Being Given Alcohol Pretending It Was Juice; Four Arrested

A woman home guard in Karnataka was allegedly gang-raped after being given alcohol disguised as juice near Madlur village. Police arrested four men linked to the assault. The victim is in critical condition and a BNS case has been registered.

Koppal: A 39-year-old woman working as a home guard was allegedly gang-raped near Madlur village in Karnataka’s Yelburga taluk on Sunday night. Police said the woman was reportedly made to drink alcohol that was passed off as fruit juice before the assault. She was later found in a critical condition and rushed to the district hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment. Authorities confirmed that four accused have been arrested in connection with the incident.

Victim Travelled to Collect Money

According to the police, the woman, a resident of Hosapete, had travelled to Kushtagi to collect money from acquaintances. One of the accused, who was known to her and allegedly owed her around ₹5,000, had asked her to come to the town to collect the payment.

Taken to Abandoned House and Assaulted

Investigators stated that the accused took the woman on a motorbike to an isolated and abandoned structure near Madlur. There, she was allegedly coerced into consuming alcohol under the pretext that it was juice. After she became disoriented, the four men reportedly raped her. She later informed the police about the assault.

Case Registered Under BNS Provisions

A case has been registered at the Yelburga Police Station under Sections 115(2), 70, 351(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Police said the victim’s husband, who was initially told that she had met with an accident, has reached the hospital.

Accused Arrested and Sent to Judicial Custody

The four arrested men have been identified as Lakshman Kenchappa Karaguli and Basavaraj Sakreppa, both from Asuti village in Ron taluk, and Bhimappa Maski and Shashikumar Maski, both residents of Hanumapur in Yelburga taluk.

All four have been produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.

Police Visit and Further Investigation

Deputy Superintendent of Police Muttanna Saravagol visited the crime scene and reviewed the ongoing investigation. Police officials noted that the primary accused, Karaguli, appears to have used the pretext of repaying his dues to lure the woman to Kushtagi, after which the crime was committed.