MP: Three held for robbery, gangrape

Three men were arrested Monday in Madhya Pradesh for allegedly committing a series of crimes, including rape, over the last eight days in Jabalpur and Katni districts, police said.

The trio, identified as Mahendra Patel (23), Suraj Dumar (21) and Raju Thapa (25) were picked up from Khamaria area of Jabalpur, said district superintendent of police Amit Singh.

He said the trio are habitual offenders.

"On the night of February 14, they burgled into a locked house of a retired Army officer in Priyadarshani Colony in Jabalpur and decamped with an LCD television set, three cooking gas cylinders and jewellery," he said, adding that they fled in the car of the officer.

The car was found abandoned in Pan Umaria in Katni in a forest area on February 21.

On February 20, they abducted and gangraped a woman at knife point in Barela area, after waylaying a motorcycle on which the woman was riding pillion with a villager, the SP said.

On the same day, they stole a truck jack, a mobile phone handset and Rs 2500 from a truck in Pan Umaria area in Katni district, he said.

On February 21, the trio robbed a woman of her mangal sutra (necklace) at knife point in Baghraji area in Jabalpur, the officer said.

A car, an LCD television set, jewellery, a gas cylinder, a mobile phone, a motorcycle, Rs 2000 cash and two knives were recovered from them, the SP said.