A video on social media shows dozens of men barging into the dentist's house in the state of Telengana. Others can be seen vandalizing a car and her family's property.
A mob of at least 40 men forced their way into the home of a 24-year-old woman and kidnapped her in the southern state of Telengana, India.
The woman, a dentist, was abducted from the house in broad daylight Friday. A video making the rounds on social media shows at least 30 men forcibly entering the house, only to drag a man out. They then proceed to beat him with sticks and rods while others vandalized the house and a car.
Vaishali, a resident of the Ranga Reddy district near Hyderabad, was safely rescued after an hourslong operation carried out by the state police, according to a report by New Delhi Television (NDTV).
The police have arrested 18 men and registered the case while they continue to look for others involved.
The incident comes on the heels of a gruesome murder case in the Indian capital where a man killed his live-in partner, chopped her up into pieces, and disposed of her corpse in a forest over weeks.
The woman's parents speak out
The woman's parents allege that over 100 men entered the house, roughly half of which attacked Vaishali. "About 50 people went to the first floor and forcibly took away the girl,” the mother of the kidnapping victim said, according to local news agency Press Trust of India.
The family named Naveen Reddy, a man who owns a tea store opposite the victm's house, as the accused who led the mob into the house. Local police told NDTV that the two had previously met on a badminton court and were in a relationship.
However, the woman had rejected his proposal to marry. Reddy then harassed her on social media platforms which led her to file a police complaint alleging stalking. Reddy remains at large.
What does the case mean for India?
Sudheer Babu, additional commissioner at the Rachokonda Commissionerate, told Asian News International, "We have registered cases under section 307 and other sections of IPC (Indian Penal Code) related to threatening,"
Section 307 refers to attempted murder, a non-bailable crime.
Cases like these highlight the severity of gener-based violence Indian women face on a regular basis.
One in every three Indian women have experienced mental, physical or sexual violence, according to research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Only one in ten of these women report these cases to the police.
The latest round of the National Family Health Survey 5 further revealed that 32 percent of women who have been married between the ages of 18 to 49 have experienced abuse by their spouses.
Edited by: Amanda Rivkin
