22-Year-Old Rape Victim Dies During Forced Abortion

A 22-year-old rape victim reportedly died while she was undergoing a forced abortion in Varanasi, India on Friday, Aug. 12.

The unnamed woman, a 22-year-old undergraduate student, reportedly met her assailant, a 28-year-old driver, while she was staying at her uncle's house for her college studies. The victim reportedly engaged in a consensual relationship with the accused, following which, however, the accused allegedly raped her and got her pregnant, NDTV reported.

After five months of pregnancy, on Aug. 12, the victim left her residence under the pretext of visiting a cousin living in a neighboring village. She later met up with the father of her unborn child. However, the man instead took the victim to a private hospital in Varanasi. At the health facility, the victim was allegedly forced to undergo an abortion by the accused.

After the procedure, the victim suffered severe complications. Following this, the accused rushed her to another private hospital in Varanasi for immediate treatment. However, the woman was reported to have died at the second hospital, News18 reported.

Following the incident, the victim's uncle lodged a complaint against the accused at a local police station. The 28-year-old driver, the suspect's friend, a senior official of a private hospital, and a doctor were named as the offenders in the woman's death.

“She was an undergraduate student and had been in a relationship with the accused. In his complaint, the victim’s uncle alleged that the youth raped her and got her pregnant," the police said.

Based on the complaint filed by the victim's uncle, the officers arrested the main accused and the senior official. The officers have launched an investigation to nab the other two accused at the earliest.

According to the police, after the woman died during the abortion, the accused even tried hiding the victim’s body. However, he was unsuccessful in his attempt and was caught by the officers.

The officers recovered the woman's body and sent it for an autopsy. The autopsy report stated that the woman's death occurred due to shock and hemorrhage.