Thiruvananthapuram, July 18:  In a shocking incident, a 21-year-old Russian woman was allegedly drugged and gang-raped in Tiruvannamalai on Monday. The victim was found unconscious in her guesthouse after suffering injuries during the assault. According to reports, the incident took place at a service apartment while the woman was on a visit to the pilgrimage town of Tiruvannamalai.

The District Magistrate on Wednesday informed that the victim is admitted to the hospital and is still unconscious. "We're unable to interact. Moreover,the victim can speak only Russian, for which we are making arrangement. The investigation is underway", he added.

According to a TOI report, Police said that the Russian national checked into a hotel after arriving in Tiruvannamalai and then moved to a service apartment on July 12. Investigators detained six men for questioning in connection with the gangrape. The report informs that out of the six men, took the unconscious woman to a hospital where she was undergoing a treatment.

“On Monday evening, one of the accused took her to a hospital, where he told a doctor that he had found her in an unconscious state in the neighbourhood”, a Police official was quoted in the report.  The report further informs that the Police moved the woman to Government Medical College and Hospital, Tiruvannamalai, where a medical test confirmed rape.

Reports inform that the incident came to light after the doctor who examined the victim alerted the Tiruvannamalai Town police. A case under Indian Penal Code Section 376 (rape) and Section 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonments) have been registered in the matter.

The report by TOI informs that Police identified four of the six detained as Dharani alias Bharathy, 31, and his brother Neelakandan, 35, of Vedanatham, and Manikandan, 37, and Venkatesan, 39, of Tiruvannamalai town. Police informed that the belongings and cash that the woman had with her were intact while the drugs that the woman had taken were seized.

While the Police questioned the suspects, one of the six men informed the police that he accompanied the woman to the temple and ashram in the town on Friday and said she invited him to the apartment on Saturday night. The Police official was quoted in the report saying that they had consensual sex that night and the following day while the boy claimed that he found her unconscious when he returned to the apartment on Monday evening after going out to buy grocery for her.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 18, 2018 09:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).