Gang loots then rapes victims to hush ’em up!

A gang involved in looting tribal families came up with a very innovative but gruesome way to force their victims into submission. The gang after looting the victims would proceed to rape the women of the family.

This was done to prevent them from reporting the incident to the police.

The rape ensured that fearing social stigma, the families would not inform the police about the loot either.

But Ahmedabad Rural police finally got its hand on the gang involved in loot and rape of two tribal families in Chekhla village of Sanand taluka. Police found that the accused raped two women of these families just to ensure that they do not file a police complaint, fearing social stigma. Five people have been arrested in this case. 

On July 13, a mob of a dozen people attacked two labourer families near Sanand-Kadi road. They looted cash, cellphones and gold ornaments worth Rs38,000 from them. "In order to discourage victims from filing a loot complaint, they also raped two women of the families, who were living near an under-construction petrol pump near Chekhla village," said police.

According to Rajiv Ranjan Bhagat, district superintendent of police, A’bad Rural, all the gang members belong to the Vedva Devipujak tribe. "Raping women after looting their families is the modus operandi used by the gang. They believe that victims will not approach police about the loot as they are too afraid of the social stigma associated with rape," said Bhagat.  

He further said that the gang was involved in sodomy cases in 1998. According to Bhagat, Vedva gang had sodomised several priests and sadhus after looting temples in Amreli region.

Working on a tip-off, rural crime branch arrested five of the gang members on Friday. One of the arrested, Viram Vedva Devipujak confessed to be among the four who raped the two women. Apart from Viram, Raju Jiliya, Kalu Chunara, Gitla Chunara and Devraj Chunara are also in police custody. Police have launched a hunt for other members of the gang. The arrested gang members, when quizzed, named Chhanu Devipujak, Keshu Chunara and Ramesh alias Tendu Chunara as the other members involved in the gang rape. Police believe that there are several more members of the gang who are still on the run.

Police say, Viram along with Tendu raped Sitaben, while brothers Keshu and Chhanu raped Durga near the petrol pump after the loot. According to Bhagat, Keshu, 40, is a resident of Kadi and the gang leader who planned the entire crime.