A mother was allegedly gang-raped by armed robbers in front of her husband and children at the family’s home in India.
The attack was reportedly carried out by four men in a village in the state of Punjab during a robbery attack.
A police complaint said the men scaled the walls of the home before taking the family onto the rooftop of the building, where the group allegedly raped the mother in front of her helpless husband and children before they robbed the home.
They then left with gold ornaments belonging to the family and 20,000 rupees (around £212) in cash, Dawn.com reported.
The woman’s husband claimed when he first reported the attack to the local police, they initially registered the case against two suspects and insisted on leaving the allegation of gang-rape out of the report.
According to him, they later agreed to investigate the rape following public outcry.
A spokesperson for the police has denied that officers failed to record the allegations and said they were included in the initial written complaint. He also said that an investigation had been launched and a senior local officer in charge of the case.
The attack is the latest in a string of incidents that have sparked protests in India in recent years.
Last week, a tour guide was allegedly raped by five men and a woman at a five-star hotel in Delhi.
In August, the body of a 13-year-old girl was found dumped near a sugarcane field in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The girl had reportedly been raped and strangled.
Senior Opposition Congress Party member Jitin Prasada called the attack “inhumane” and said it put “humanity to shame”.
“In this episode, the police must initiate such a strong action that it becomes a deterrent for criminals,” he said.
