Attack on Army officers: Accused approached victims after hearing loud music

Indore: The men who allegedly attacked two Army officers and raped their woman friend near Mhow in Madhya Pradesh were drawn to the picnic spot after hearing loud music, police said on Friday.

The police have arrested three out of six men for the attack that occurred near Jam Gate, a popular tourist spot, on the intervening night of September 10 and 11.

The spot is around 30 km from the Mhow military cantonment.

Located on the Vindhyachal ranges, Jam Gate is surrounded by forests. In monsoon, tourists frequent the spot during the day, and the area is deserted at night.

Talking to reporters, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Hitika Vasal said two Army officers and their two women friends had been at the spot since 11 pm on Tuesday.

"The four of them were listening to loud music, and on hearing the sound in the deserted area late in the night, the six accused reached the spot and committed the crime," she said.

One of the attackers threatened the victims with a pistol, while the others were armed with sticks, the official said.

The accused held one of the couples hostage, assaulted them, and told the other pair that they will be released once they bring them Rs 10 lakh, she said.

Vasal said the police reached the spot as soon as the incident was reported, "but the accused had fled seeing the headlight of the police vehicle".

Police teams are conducting raids at different places to nab the three absconding accused, and a reward of Rs 10,000 has also been announced on each arrest, she said.

Two of the three arrested accused are in police custody till September 16 and are being interrogated, Vasal said.

The army officers, aged 23 and 24, undergoing the Young Officers course at the Infantry School in Mhow cantonment town, had gone out for a picnic with their two women friends.

The police earlier said the accused arrived at the picnic spot around 2 am and started assaulting one of the officers and his female friend, who were sitting in a car, police said.

Upon hearing the commotion, the other officer and his woman friend, who were on a hilltop, reached the spot.

After police reached the spot, the officers and their women friends were brought to Mhow civil hospital, where a medical examination confirmed that one of the women was raped, an official said.

A case was registered under sections 70 (gang rape), 310-2 (dacoity), 308-2 (extortion) and 115-2 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and under sections of the Arms Act.

The SP said the woman, allegedly raped by the accused, was in a state of shock and was not ready to record her statement at the moment.

She said the police are trying to get the woman's statement and questioning the accused about the alleged rape.

Meanwhile, a police officer dismissed as "rumour" the reports on social media that the officers and the young women had come into contact with each other on a dating app.