Three women disciples from an ashram in Bihar’s Nawada district have accused six men from the institution of raping them at gunpoint over several days, police said on Friday.
The three women of the Sant Kutir Ashram were raped inside the compound by nearly half a dozen “sewadars” between December 12 and 17, 2017, a district police officer said.
The victims were also warned by their attackers not to inform the police. However, the victims lodged a police complaint on January 4, he added.
All the accused named in the FIR were from Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district and were absconding, the officer said.
Nawada Superintendent of Police Vikas Barman said police teams have been formed, who are conducting raids to nab the accused.
The victims told the police that on December 12, when they were busy cooking food in their room in the ashram, sewadars, including Kalpanath Choudhary, Girijashankar Choudhary, Tapasya and, Sheet Choudhary forcibly entered into their room.
The attackers then abused and caught them and raped them at gunpoint. They then threatened to kill them and fled from the room, the police said.
All three victims have recorded their statement under section 164 in Nawada civil court on Thursday.
Their medical examination was conducted at the Sadar Hospital, the police officer said.
One of the victims informed the police that this was not the first incident of its kind at the ashram.
A few months ago, one of accused had allegedly raped a woman and forced her at gunpoint to keep silent. When others protested, the accused opened fire, in which one person was injured. The incident did not come to the police’s notice.
The victims said that some 50 women and two dozen men were staying in the ashram and the three of them were living there for the last six years.