Two young Army officers and their female friends were attacked by a group of men who gang-raped one of the women at gunpoint near the historic Jam Gate, about 50km from Indore, in the early hours of Wednesday.
Additional Superintendent of Police Rupesh Dwivedi reported on Wednesday night that six suspects have been identified, with two already detained from the nearby jungles.
The Army officers sustained injuries during the assault. One of the officers managed to contact senior officers, but by the time police arrived from Mhow, 30km away, the woman had already been raped.
The officers are undergoing the Young Officers course at the Infantry School in Mhow, said SP Rural Hitika Vasal. According to the complaint filed by one of the lieutenants, the group had driven to Ahilya Gate near Jam Gate on the Mhow-Mandleshwar road on Tuesday night.
Around 2.30am, one officer and his female friend were attacked by 6-7 men while they were in their car. The other pair, who were on a nearby hillock, rushed down upon hearing the commotion.
The attackers held the couple in the car hostage at gunpoint and demanded Rs 10 lakh in ransom from the other officer. This allowed the officer, accompanied by the other woman, to alert his seniors in Mhow, who then notified the police.
A large police contingent was sent to the scene, but the attackers had fled into the forest by the time they arrived.
The four victims were taken to Mhow Civil Hospital around 6.30am, where a medical examination confirmed that one of the women had been gang-raped. The duty doctor reported injuries on both officers.
"The complainant has alleged that the woman with him was raped, and they were also robbed," SP Vasal said.
Badgonda police have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 70 (gang-rape), 310-2 (dacoity), 308-2 (extortion), and 115-2 (voluntarily causing hurt), along with sections of the Arms Act.
Forces from four police stations are combing the jungles near Chhoti Jaam village and have apprehended two suspects.
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