Husband Forces Wife to Gang-Rape in Name of 'Purification Ritual' After She Elopes With Lover; Nine Arrested

In another shocking case from Gujarat, a woman was subjected to gang rape and physical abuse under the guise of a religious ‘purification’ ritual. The incident happened in Gujarat’s Surendranagar, where a married woman left her husband and went to live with another man. Her husband, along with other family members, objected to the relationship and allegedly confined and raped her.

When the horrific incident surfaced, local police officials uncovered severe cases of assault, illegal confinement, and gang rape carried out against the woman under the guise of religious purification. Police have filed a complaint, and a total of nine people, including the woman’s husband, have been arrested in connection with the incident.

Gujarat Woman Allegedly Gang-Raped in Name of ‘Purification’

As per police information, the survivor left her husband’s house and started living with another man. In response, her husband, along with some family members, unlawfully confined her inside a house, tying her with ropes and chains.

See Also: What Will It Take for Women to Feel Safe?: Delhi University Erupts with Anti-Rape Chants as Students Say “Enough” at Miranda House’s Women Solidarity March

But when she somehow managed to escape from there, the accused followed her. When he found her, he brought both the woman and the man back to Surendranagar for a purification ceremony.

The woman was then tied to a tree and continuously hit with a wooden stick. They kicked and assaulted her while she was tied. They then allegedly forced the man who accompanied her to rape her while everyone was present and recorded the whole incident. The accused photographed and filmed the entire scene and circulated it on social media, allegedly to teach her a lesson.

The incident came to light after an explicit video of the incident was recorded and circulated on social media platforms. In the video, the woman is shown being confined and subjected to severe physical abuse and rape while a crowd gathered around and mocked her. The video reached the police, following which they initiated an investigation.

Surendranagar Police Arrest Nine in Gang Rape Case

The Superintendent of Police of Surendranagar, Premsukh Delu, said that the police started the investigation after receiving the video of the woman with her companion. Police acted quickly in the case and traced the woman for questioning over the video.

Delu said that during questioning, she explained the whole ordeal to the police, including how she ran away and how the entire village pursued her and caught her and the man.

She was then subjected to physical abuse under the guise of a purification ritual because she had left her husband to live with another man. A formal complaint was filed by the police under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.

Police arrested a total of nine people in the case, including two women. Further investigation into the incident is underway.

See Also: 16-Year-Old Gang-Raped by Driver and Conductor in Delhi Sleeper Bus, Both Arrested; Further Investigation Underway

Gujarat POCSO Case: 14-Year-Old Girl Alleges Rape by Parents

In another case that surfaced just days earlier in Gujarat, a 14-year-old girl from Kutch claimed that her parents raped her, assaulted her, confined her, and took nude photographs of her.

The girl said that the incident began on September 14, 2026, when she was talking to a male friend and her mother saw her and questioned her about the call. Following this, an argument broke out at home.

The girl said that when her father returned from work and became aware of the incident, he got angry with her and allegedly assaulted her and confined her inside the house. She said that at one point, her father refused to give her food for a day and beat her for several hours.

The girl then alleged that her father soon began sexually assaulting her repeatedly while her mother was present. The girl has filed a complaint against her parents under the POCSO Act and other relevant sections.

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

[Rh/VP/HP]

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