Blind rape survivor dies by suicide in Karnataka

The arrested accused, 32, was an acquaintance of the victim.

MysuruA 58-year-old blind woman allegedly died by suicide in Karnataka’s Vijayanagara district on Friday, days after she was allegedly raped, police said on Saturday. The accused has been arrested, the officers said.

Police said, the woman lived with her daughter and grandchildren. (Representative file image)

Police said, the woman lived with her daughter and grandchildren in Vyasapura Thanda village in the Hagaribommanalli police station limits of the district. On the night of May 30, when the daughter went to attend a wedding with her kids, the 32-year-old accused, who is an acquaintance, visited the woman. “As per the complaint, the accused raped her and threatened her against informing anyone,” said Hagaribommanalli police inspector B Manjunath.

When her daughter returned home, she found her mother in a distressed state and took her to the Hagaribommanalli taluk government hospital on May 31, the inspector said. The hospital authorities informed the police after which a case was booked. The woman had told police the name of the accused in her statement at the hospital, Manjunath said. “We managed to arrest the accused on Friday and registered a case under IPC section 376 (rape),” the inspector said. The woman was discharged from the hospital on Friday, and she allegedly consumed pesticide on returning home, dying on the spot.