Onlookers film drunk man raping Vizag woman in broad daylight

Hyderabad, Oct 23: A woman was raped by a drunk man in full public view in broad daylight on a busy street in Visakhapatnam, police said on Monday, but dozens of passers-by filmed the crime instead of coming to her help.

The incident took place in New Railway Colony between Tadichetlapalem and the railway station at around 2.30 pm. The accused, Ganji Siva, a 23-year-old truck cleaner, was arrested in the evening and was produced before the court on Monday. He was sent to two weeks of judicial remand.

Visakhapatnam IV town police sub-inspector K Suresh told HT that the woman (43) had left her house two days ago after a family dispute.

“Apparently, she was very weak as she had not eaten for several hours and was sleeping on the footpath under the shadow of a tree, when Siva, in an inebriated condition assaulted her sexually,” Suresh said.

Passers-by did not bother to stop him even as the woman was too weak to even scream.

“Instead, some of them were more interested in capturing the incident on their mobile phones. After some time, an auto driver, RG Srinu, shot a short video of it and brought it to our notice,” the policeman said.

The video clip shows people walking past, while the man was sexually assaulting the woman. Even the auto driver did not stop the rape. “It clearly shows how the people have become insensitive to attacks on women,” Suresh said.

By the time the police rushed to the spot, Siva had already left on his bike. Based on the information given by Srinu and other locals, the police traced Siva and took him into custody.

They sent the woman to King George Hospital for medical examination. “We have booked a case under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code,” the police officer said, adding that the details of the woman were yet to be gathered.