Raute settlement under police surveillance to avoid unnecessary entry

Police have increased their vigilance and security at Raute settlement in Gurbhakot Municipality-9, Damar of Surkhet after the incident of sexual violence against two Raute women came to light.

The administration that sealed off the settlement after the incident has mobilized a joint team of Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force to prevent the unnecessary entry of people to the settlement.

Nepal Police has deputed the security squad under the command of an assistant inspector while the Armed Police Force team commanded by a constable is guarding the area.

It may be noted that on the night of June 4, a video of three local youths sexually assaulting a 19-year-old and 23-year-old Raute women at a hotel room in Botechaur Bazaar became public.

Being based on the video clip which later went viral on the social sites, police arrested Choman Gharti, 35, Bhupendra Budha Magar, 24, and hotelier Man Bahadur Pun aka Milan of Gurbhakot-9 on the charge of their involvement in the alleged crime. Police are investigating the case through rape and cybercrime perspective, it is said.

District Police Office spokesperson Deputy Superintendent of Police Ram Prasad Gharti said investigative officers were gathering pieces of evidence relating to the incident and taking statements of the survivors and the alleged perpetrators.

The medical check-ups of the women were conducted at the Province Hospital on Friday, eight days after the happening of the incident. The check was done without the prior knowledge of the women. The incident has been kept secret from the community leader for the security reason of the survivors. After taking statements and conducting health test, they were sent back to the settlement.

The District Court has already permitted the police to keep the alleged perpetrators in custody for further investigation by more ten days beginning from today. Earlier, police were given the period of five days to keep them in detention for the investigation and it had ended on Friday.

DSP Gharti said that the team would stay there for some times for the surveillance of the settlement to avert the possibilities of the unwanted presence of people and invasion of the privacy of survivors.