Resisting rape, married woman burnt alive in Karnataka

In a shocking incident, a married 23-year-old woman was burnt alive for resisting a rape attempt in Karnataka's Yadgir district and police have launched a hunt for the accused.

The incident took place in a village near Shahapur town on Monday morning and the woman, identified as Balamma, succumbed to her injuries in the Kalburgi hospital. The accused is identified as Gangeppa, a resident of Chowdeshwarihala village.

Surapura police have registered the case after recording the statement of the victim in the hospital before she succumbed, and have formed special teams to nab the accused who is absconding.

According to police, Gangeppa had his eye on Balamma for a long time and forced her to have affair with him multiple times. When she resisted, he had even assaulted her.

However, she did not lodge a police complaint. However, the matter was brought to the notice of village elders and they called a meeting, where Gangeppa was warned not to trouble the married woman.

But, he barged inside her house early in the morning when her husband had gone out and attempted to rape the victim when she was asleep.

When she resisted, he assaulted her, poured petrol on her and set her alight. Neighbours rushed to the spot, extinguished the flames, and shifted her to the hospital, sources said.

Last month, another shocking incident of another victim being stripped, assaulted, and sexually abused came to light in Yadgir. The victim was waiting near Rastapura road when she was kidnapped and taken to a farm near Kanyakollur road and gang-raped.

The accused had also taken a video, showing the woman being attacked by four to five men with sugarcane sticks after being stripped. The men beat her up in the pitch darkness even as she begged them to let her off. The video also showed the assailants also clicking selfies with the victim during the assault.

The police arrested all accused in this case.