Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 7 (HBTV): Three more accused were arrested on Friday in the Varanasi gangrape case, taking the total number of arrests to 12, police officials said. They were produced before the court and sent to the district jail on the court’s orders.

ACP Vidush Saxena stated, ‘A total of 12 accused have been arrested and are being sent to judicial custody. The remaining accused are being identified and will be accounted for soon. The victim and the family are being provided aid under the Rani Lakshmi Bai Scheme. Strict action will be taken against the culprits. Three more accused are arrested, and they are being sent to jail.’

Earlier, on April 9, nine accused were sent to judicial custody by the District and Sessions Court. The police had found the victim on April 4 in an unconscious state.

According to Alok Saurabh, the lawyer for one of the accused, a total of 23 individuals have been named in the case, of whom 11 are yet to be identified.

The victim's father recounted the trauma his daughter endured. ‘My daughter left home to visit her friend. All these incidents happened to her soon after. She left home on 29 March and visited the ghat with her friend and spent a day there. She came in contact with boys after that, and 3–4 days passed by. We were all worried, and fearing judgement, we tried finding her ourselves, but in vain. We approached the police on 3 April. She was found on 4 April by the police. She was in a bad state. After treatment, when she became normal, she narrated the whole incident.’

According to the police, the girl was lured away and raped repeatedly over several days. The victim has alleged that 23 individuals raped her over a span of seven days.

‘She was intoxicated many times by many people and was gang-raped. The involvement of so many men indicates that it was a planned attempt. My daughter studied Commerce in her inter, and she was planning on pursuing sports. She is 19 years old. I do not know or recognise any of the accused. Yogi Adityanath is known for tactfully handling such cases. I urge him to give us justice. I do not demand that the accused be hanged, but the punishment should be so severe that people think twice before raping anyone,’ the father added.

Police investigations are ongoing, and the search for the remaining accused continues.

(ANI)