Chandrauta, June 13
Police have arrested Armed Police Force jawan (officer) Lok Raj Basti on the charge of raping a woman from Shivaraj municipality-10, Kapilvastu district.
Basti faces charge of raping a verbally challenged Tharu woman at around 8 pm on Sunday.
From 11.30 am on Monday, locals shut the East-West Highway for half an hour, demanding action against those involved in the rape. Responding to the protest, APF’s Vindhyavasini Battalion handed over Basti to Chandrauta ward police office. According to Ram Prasad Belbase and other locals, APF officers, including Basti, allegedly tied the victims’ hands and feet with rope while she had gone close to the battalion for grazing her buffalo, threw her into a bush and returned to the place in the evening to rape her.
APF’s game dress, sandals, broken bangles and soap were recovered from the spot. Citing circumstantial evidence, locals shut the road accusing APF officers of raping the woman and demanding action against them.
The victim was sent to Shivaraj Hospital in Bahadurgunj on Sunday night for medical tests. As her condition did not stabilise even by Monday morning, the victim was admitted to Sanjivani community hospital in Chandrauta for further treatment.
Chief of the battalion, Hridaya Narayan Mandal, said the battalion has handed over the accused to Nepal Police.
