A Swiss female tourist was gang raped by reportedly eight people at a forest area in Central India, by the Datia district of Madhya Pradesh, police said on Saturday. The assailants reportedly overpowered her husband, beating him with wooden sticks before tying him up and sexually assaulting his wife in front of him, BBC reported.
Both are reportedly conscious and speaking to Indian authorities. The Swiss embassy has asked for a thorough investigation. The attack comes three months after the fatal gang-rape of a woman aboard a New Delhi bus attack.
Authorities detained and questioned more than 20 men since the attack, according to the BBC. The tourists reportedly were cycling from Orchha to Agra to see the Taj Mahal when they decided to camp overnight at a village, police said. They were attacked while at about 9:30. After the assault, the assailants stole their valuables, including about $185 (or 10,000 rupees), and personal belongings.
The Swiss woman was treated at a hospital in the nearby city of Gwailor, according to police. She nor her husband apparently suffered no major injuries, according to reports.
Delhi has seen widespread protests in the last few months since a 23-year-old student in New Delhi was tortured with an iron rod and raped on a moving bus on December 16. She was then thrown bleeding onto the street. A male friend of hers was also beaten in the attack. She died of organ failure in a Singapore hospital two weeks later
Police said that one of the suspects in that trial, Ram Singh hanged himself last Monday.
