Witchcraft to remove Vastu flaws; Woman gang-raped by husband's friends

MUMBAI: A 35-year-old woman was gang-raped by her husband's friends on the pretext of eliminating all Vastu flaws affecting the family. The incident took place in the Palghar district of Maharashtra. All the accused have been arrested by the police.

Her husband’s friends assured her of wiping off all 'Vasthu flaws' through witchcraft. They also made the woman believe that her husband was earlier subjected to some form of ritual and alerted her about the need to conduct remedial measures to remove the evils.

The gang molested the woman at her home and also took her to various other locations to continue the heinous act. The gang also took her money and gold and when enquired they schooled her about the need to commit compromise to ward off the evil spirits.

The incident came to light when the woman lodged a complaint with the police. As soon as the complaint was received, the police registered a case and arrested Ravindra Bhate, Dilip Gaikwad, Gaurav Salvi, Mahendra Kumawat, and Ganesh Kadam.