Indian woman allegedly raped by 40 men over four days

NEW DELHI: Indian police have arrested the owner of a guesthouse and its manager after a woman alleged she was drugged and raped by some 40 men over four days, an official said Friday.

The incident is the latest in a string of sexual attack cases reported from across the country where nearly 110 rapes are reported every day, according to official figures.

In a complaint to the police, the 22-year-old woman said she was promised a job at the guesthouse in the northern state of Haryana by a person known to her.

But she was instead held captive, drugged and raped by various men over four days, senior police officer Rajendar Kumar Meena told AFP, citing the written complaint of the victim.

Three junior police officials “have been suspended for negligence and not informing senior officers about the sensitive matter”, Meena added.

Sexual violence is rife in India, with 110,333 rape cases reported in the country between 2014 and 2016.

The country’s dire record on sexual violence has been in the global spotlight since the 2012 gang-rape and murder of a woman on a New Delhi bus sparked angry protests.

The incident led to tougher sentences and reforms in the country’s rape laws but sexual crime against women, as well as against minors, remains rampant.

Indian police arrested 17 men this week for allegedly raping an 11-year-old girl over several weeks in southern city of Chennai.