19-year-old woman arrested under Section 377 for raping another woman using sex toy in Delhi

New Delhi, Feb 05: A 19-year-old woman was arrested on charges of 'raping' another woman under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, making it the first such development ever, especially after the Supreme Court decriminalised same sex relations in September last year.

The victim alleged that the accused identified as Shivani had tied an artificial male genitalia to her waist through a belt and then forcefully committed anal sex upon her.

Shivani was produced before the Karkardooma Court where the police was granted a day to interrogate her and thereafter she was sent for judicial custody in Tihar jail.

According to News18, the victim was subject to repeated sexual and physical assaults.

It all began in March 2018, when the victim who hails from Northeast India quit her job in Gurugram to start her own business. She underwent preliminary training in Punjab's Rajpura and had to give Rs. 1.5 lakh as investment money.

The victim was taught to approach people at bus stops, railway stations etc., and explain the scheme to them. During this process she met Rohit, another accused, who lied to her that he worked for HCL and was ready to invest in her business.

The man took the victim to an apartment in Dilshad colony where he and another accused Rahul raped her and shot videos to blackmail her.

Things turned uglier, when she was sent to serve clients. The woman alleged that the accused woman often tried to get close to her and whenever she resisted she used to beat her.

Recalling the horror, the victim said she was pinned down to bed by Rohit and Rahul. The woman used sex toys to 'prepare' her for clients. She also hid the ordeal from her parents. Months later, the victim was rescued by social activist Hemant Sharma. But filing the case wasn't easy.

After the Supreme Court's Constitution Bench read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, carnal same-sex intercourse is no longer an offence. However, the aspect of consent remains a debatable topic.