No one came forward to help the victim. The survivor had left her home after a family dispute and was sleeping on a pavement when the accused, 20 years younger than her, attacked her.
Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh): A woman was raped by a drunk man in full public view in broad daylight on a busy street in Visakhapatnam, police said on Monday, but dozens of passers-by filmed the crime instead of coming to her help.
After the auto-driver recorded the crime, he called the police and handed over the video to them, based on which Siva was arrested. The woman was apparently sitting next to a tree on the footpath near the Railway colony -- which is one of the busier areas of the city -- when the man forced himself on her.
The incident took place in New Railway Colony between Tadichetlapalem and the railway station at around 2.30pm on Sunday. The accused, Ganji Siva, a 23-year-old truck cleaner, was arrested in the evening and was produced before the court on Monday. He was sent to two weeks of judicial remand.
According to officials, an auto driver in Visakhapatnam saw a drunk man raping the woman, but chose to record it on his phone, instead of helping the woman.
People were seen walking past while the woman was being assaulted by the 23-year-old man, identified as Ganji Siva, who was allegedly drunk.
After the auto-driver recorded the crime, he called the police and handed over the video to them, based on which Siva was arrested.
The woman was apparently sitting next to a tree on the footpath near the Railway colony -- which is one of the busier areas of the city -- when the man forced himself on her.
The 23-year-old was later produced before the court and sent to two weeks of judicial remand.
His alleged victim, a 43-year-old woman, had left her house two days before the attack after a family argument and had not eaten for the last few days and lacked the energy to resist the attack or scream for help.
Police officer Madhusudanamurthy said, "The statements given by both were incoherent and inconsistent.”
The incident caused uproar in the city with activists being up in arms, claiming the auto-rickshaw driver could have helped the woman instead of filming the assault.
Visakhapatnam IV town police sub-inspector K Suresh told media that the woman (43) had left her house two days ago after a family dispute.
“Apparently, she was very weak as she had not eaten for several hours and was sleeping on the footpath under the shadow of a tree, when Siva, in an inebriated condition assaulted her sexually,” Suresh said.
Passers-by did not bother to stop him even as the woman was too weak to even scream.
The video clip shows people walking past, while the man was sexually assaulting the woman. Even the auto driver did not stop the rape. “It clearly shows how the people have become insensitive to attacks on women,” Suresh said.
By the time the police rushed to the spot, Siva had already left on his bike. Based on the information given by Srinu and other locals, the police traced Siva and took him into custody.
They sent the woman to King George Hospital for medical examination. “We have booked a case under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code,” the police officer said, adding that the details of the woman were yet to be gathered.
Dozens of other onlookers also filmed the assault.