20-year-old mother allegedly gang-raped, tortured and paraded through streets

A 20-year-old mother was allegedly gang-raped and tortured by a group of men before being paraded through the streets of Delhi, India, and humiliated.

Police arrested 11 people, including nine women, in connection to the incident, which took place Wednesday in East Delhi's Kasturba Nagar area as the nation celebrated Republic Day, CBS News reported.

The unidentified victim was allegedly abducted from her home and gang-raped by three men, India Today reported, citing Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal, who spoke to the mother-of-one.

The victim alleged that a few women were present during the assault and were encouraging the men to torture her even more.

A video published by Daily Mail showed the victim with her head shaved, face blackened and with a garland of shoes around her neck as she was dragged through the streets and jeered at by a crowd Wednesday.

The footage, which has gone viral in India, showed a group of women forcing the victim to walk and hitting her while onlookers cheer.

The victim's family said her attackers were related to a teenager who died by suicide in November 2021 after the victim, who is married and has a 3-year-old son, rejected his romantic advances.

The victim's family claimed the boy stalked and pursued the victim for a long time before he took his own life.

"He fell in love with her… He used to keep calling and asking her to leave her husband and be with him. She would always refuse," the victim's sister said.

The victim's sister, whose name was not revealed, further claimed that the family of the teenage boy made regular threats of rape and violence toward the woman, prompting her to move recently.

The investigation into the case is ongoing, and more arrests are expected to be made soon, according to Delhi police.

The victim is currently in a safe house, and her family has been given police protection.

Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi's chief minister, called the attack "shameful" and urged strict action against the perpetrators.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.