Bengaluru, July 3: A gangrape of a college student in Karnataka has come to light three months after the incident. According to police, the girl was sexually assaulted in Puttur area of Dakshina Kannada district by at least five men in February or March this year. The heinous crime came to fore after videos of the incident went viral on social media. After registering a case, the police on Wednesday arrested five college students.

The five accused have been identified as Gurunandan, Sunil, Prakyath, Kishan and Prajwal. They all are students of Vivekananda college. The girl was taken to a forest area in the car and sexually assaulted by the accused. They recorded the incident and threatened to share videos on social media if she reveals anything, police said. The victim belongs to the Schedule Tribes community and is reportedly the daughter of a gram panchayat member. Jharkhand Horror: Mother-Daughter Killed Over Witchcraft Allegation in West Singhbhum District.

The police registered a suo moto case after the videos went viral and booked the five accused under Section 341 (wrongful restraint) and 376(d) (gang rape) of the Indian Penal Code, and sections of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the IT Act. Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police BM Laxmi Prasad warned people against sharing the videos on WhatsApp, News18 reported.

Those found sharing the videos will be charged under 354(c) of IPC (voyeurism) and provisions of the IT act, Prasad said. He added that the admin will also be booked if the clips are shared in his/her WhatsApp group. The police formed two teams to nab culprits after the videos went viral. The accused students have been suspended from the college.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 03, 2019 11:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).