The UK Police have launched an urgent appeal to locate a white male suspect following the "racially aggravated" rape of a 20-year-old woman, believed to be of Indian heritage, in northern England.
West Midlands Police stated that they were alerted to the Park Hall area of Walsall on Saturday evening due to concerns for the welfare of a woman who appeared distressed in the street. As part of their public appeal for information, the force has released CCTV footage of the suspect and confirmed that the incident is being treated “as a racially aggravated attack”.
“This was an absolutely appalling attack on a young woman, and we are doing absolutely everything we can to arrest the person responsible,” said Detective Superintendent (DS) Ronan Tyrer, who is leading the investigation for West Midlands Police, on Sunday.
“We have teams of officers recovering evidence and building a profile of the attacker so that he can be brought into custody as soon as possible. While we are following multiple lines of enquiry right now, it's vital that we get to hear from anyone who saw a man acting suspiciously in the area at the time,” he added.
“It may be that you were driving through the area and have dashcam footage, or you have CCTV that we have not yet recovered. Your information could be the vital breakthrough that we need,” he continued.
The suspect is described as a white male in his 30s, with short hair and dressed in dark clothing during the attack. Although police have not yet confirmed additional details, local community groups have stated that the victim is a Punjabi woman and have raised concerns, noting that this incident follows the racially aggravated rape of a British Sikh woman in the nearby Oldbury area just weeks earlier.
“At this stage, we are not linking this attack to any other offences,” DS Tyrer stated.
Specialist officers from the force's Public Protection Unit, along with local policing teams and forensic experts, are actively working to retrieve CCTV footage, interview witnesses, and identify the suspect. Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby of Walsall Police emphasised that his team's priority is to assist investigators in locating and apprehending the perpetrator.
“Walsall is a diverse area, and we know the fear and concern that this awful attack will cause in our communities. We have been speaking to people in the community today to listen to and understand their concerns, and there will be an increased policing presence in the coming days,” he said.
The Sikh Federation UK, citing local sources, reported that the “young woman who was subject to a racially aggravated rape in Walsall is a Punjabi woman”. “The attacker apparently broke down the door of the house where she was living… West Midlands Police have now had two racially aggravated rapes of young women in their 20s in the last two months and urgently need to find those responsible,” the organisation stated.
In connection with last month's racially aggravated rape of a British Sikh woman in Oldbury, the force has made several arrests but subsequently released the suspects on bail.
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