KEY POINTS

  • The investigation began after the video went viral on social media
  • The police arrested four men and a woman Thursday
  • The suspects and the victim were from Bangladesh

Investigators have detained five people in India for raping and torturing a woman then sharing the video of the assault online.

Police arrested the suspects, identified as Sagar, 23, Mohammed Babu Sahik, 30, Ridoy Babu, 25, and Hakeel, 23, Thursday. Another suspect, a woman whose identity has not been revealed, was also apprehended.

Authorities learned about the abuse after a video clip of a woman being tortured went viral on social media in the eastern Indian state of Assam.

State police released photos of the suspects Wednesday and promised a reward for anyone who could provide any leads about the suspects.

Police eventually traced the origin of the viral video. They found that it had been shared first from Bengaluru, a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

Further investigation revealed that all the suspects and the victim were from the neighboring country of Bangladesh. Authorities also learned that the victim, who had been trafficked to India after being promised a job, was assaulted last week, reported Times of India.

The victim initially managed to escape the gang and fled to a neighboring state but was forcibly brought back to Bengaluru where she was eventually raped and filmed.

"Our initial probe has revealed that the gang brought her illegally into the country by promising her a job. Instead, they forced her into prostitution. She was able to escape but they hunted her down. When they found her, they tortured her brutally and violated her before circulating the video," a senior police official said as per The Hindu.

However, the officials have not yet traced the victim. A special police team has already been formed to track her down, police sources said.

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representational image. pixabay

A similar case of sexual assault and filming was also reported in Philadelphia last month. Police nabbed 19-year-old Bahodir Jamolov for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, filming the abuse and sharing the video on Snapchat. Jamolov, a suspected drug dealer, now faces multiple charges, including statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors, possession of child pornography and possession of drugs with intent to manufacture or deliver.

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