Hunt on for culprits in gang rape case in AP

The Guntur police in Andhra Pradesh is hunting for at least four suspects in a case of alleged gang rape that happened around midnight on Wednesday.

At least four miscreants were said to be involved in the incident in which a 26-year-old homemaker's modesty was outraged. They beat her husband and tied him up to a tree before raping her, police said.

''This is a case of unidentified suspects but we are narrowing down on them,'' Guntur Urban Superintendent of Police K Arif Hafeez told PTI over the phone on Friday.

According to the victims' statement, four persons were said to be involved in the crime, the SP said.

He said the condition of the woman was stable now after medical examination at the Government General Hospital in Guntur.

''There will be a breakthrough in the case soon,'' Hafeez added.

The two were on their way home in Sattenapalli on a two-wheeler after attending a family function in Medikonduru when they were waylaid and attacked.

They dragged the couple into agricultural fields, along with the two-wheeler, and thrashed the husband. They then tied him up to a tree and raped the woman in turns, police said.

The couple was later threatened not to disclose the crime to anyone.

However, the victims went to the Sattenapalli police station to complain but only a sentry was available at the time.

Sattenappli deputy superintendent of police Vijayabhaskar Reddy, however, claimed that a constable took down the victim's complaint and also alerted the Medikonduru police immediately.

''We have the (telephone) call data to prove our prompt action,'' the DSP said.

Police teams, including forensic experts, visited the crime scene to collect clues.

Based on initial suspicion, they picked up some construction workers in a nearby cold storage site for questioning.

Some of the workers were from Odisha and some from Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts of north coastal AP.

Police said no arrests have been made yet and the investigation was continuing.