Forced bigamy, Gujarat woman’s bold escape, and a chilling ‘purification’

In Surendranagar, Gujarat's Saurashtra region, police rescued a woman who had suffered a brutal, humiliating ordeal at the hands of her alleged husband and his family. The woman, who bore physical injuries and emotional trauma, was seen on a horrific video circulating in the area. The video showed nine individuals, including two women, forcing the victim and her alleged lover to engage in sexual acts in public.

The man claiming to be the victim's husband was already married with children, making him legally ineligible to marry her again. The woman, who had initially run away from her first marriage, returned to her lover's home after being forced back to her new husband's family. The police, led by ASP Vedika Bihani, located the woman less than an hour after receiving a tip-off from a community leader about the video.

All nine accused have been arrested and booked for various offenses, including gangrape, voluntarily causing hurt, and wrongful confinement.