The woman, who had set herself afire after she was allegedly abducted and gang-raped by unidentified jeep-borne persons, succumbed to burns at Hamidia Hospital on late Tuesday night.
Throughout Wednesday, police kept searching for the accused but there were no leads regarding the identity of the perpetrators. The victim, a 35-year-old, had in her dying declaration told the police that four persons had offered to drop her home but had raped her instead.
Superintendent of police (SP), Raisen, Shashikant Shukla said a case of rape has been registered against unidentified persons. "All efforts are being undertaken to nab the culprits. The entire route was traced today and people who have shops, establishments in the area were quizzed. The hunt is on," said Shukla.
Buses running on the route were also searched and passengers quizzed, as the victim had taken a bus and then got down midway. The victim, who hailed from Kamton, which is near Bareli in Raisen district, had left home to meet her husband, who works in Mandideep.
The woman had told police that on her way back, she didn't have money to pay the fare and got down from the bus midway. Four persons who were passing by in a jeep, offered to drop her. But they took her to some other area and allegedly first raped and then abandoned her.
She somehow managed to reach her home. Once there, she doused kerosene and set herself afire. The victim was brought to Bhopal on Tuesday evening. She succumbed to burns later in the night.
{{/usCountry}}She somehow managed to reach her home. Once there, she doused kerosene and set herself afire. The victim was brought to Bhopal on Tuesday evening. She succumbed to burns later in the night.
{{/usCountry}}The woman is survived by three children that include a teenaged daughter and two sons. Police said that the deceased's husband has said that he had given some money to his wife when she came to meet him.
The preliminary post-mortem report says that she died of burn injuries. The doctors were not in a position to ascertain injuries that might have been inflicted during sexual assault because the woman was badly burnt.