The Repalle town police arrested two persons and took into custody a juvenile, who allegedly raped a woman in the local railway station on Saturday night.
The accused, P. Vijaya Krishna and P. Nikhil, and a minor, all residents of Netaji Nagar near the railway station, resorted to the crime, said Bapatla district Superintendent of Police Vakul Jindal.
A case has been registered against the accused under Section 376 (d) (gang rape) IPC, 394 IPC (voluntarily causing hurt while committing robbery) and 307 IPC (attempt to murder), the SP said.
He told the media on Sunday that the victim reached the Repalle railway station at 11.30 p.m. along with her family. At 1 a.m., the accused approached her husband and wanted to know the time. When he replied that he had no watch, the accused picked up an argument with him. They reportedly beat him up and snatched ₹750 cash from him. When the woman pleaded that her husband be spared, the accused pulled her aside and raped her, the SP said.
Meanwhile, her husband rushed to the Repalle town police station and complained to the personnel there, who immediately reached the railway station. On hearing the police siren, the accused fled the place.
The police shifted the victim to hospital and began checking vehicles to trace the accused. Based on the CCTV footage, a pair of footwear and bangles seized from the scene of offence, leads given by the clues team and the sniffer dog squad, the special teams identified the accused around 7. a.m., and picked them up a few hours later, Mr. Vakul Jindal said.
The accused were working as daily wagers. One of them was involved in three theft cases earlier, he said.
Bapatla DSP A. Srinivas Rao was investigating the case further, the SP added.
