JEDDAH, 5 June 2006 — Both Saudis and expatriates have been shocked and horrified upon hearing reports of a Bangladeshi housewife in Riyadh who was gang-raped by seven men. Her husband was chained inside their house, unable to help her.
According to a report in Al-Jazirah Arabic daily, police acted quickly after learning of the attack and arrested the criminals. The woman was freed. Her husband, Farouk, told a story that was like a horror film.
Farouk said the seven-member gang broke into his house at about 12 midnight when he was away. They tied the woman up, covered her face and threatened to kill her if she tried to escape.
“When I returned home, I was surprised to see the door open. No sooner had I entered the house than the gang members beat me up and chained me. Then they took my wife with them to an unknown place.”
Farouk managed to free himself about 2:30 a.m. but before that, the neighbors had informed the police. He said the gang had taken SR14,200 in cash as well as other valuables including a video, a stereo and four mobile handsets.
Farouk suspects that his neighbors living in a flat opposite could have masterminded the crime, saying they had transformed their flat into a brothel.
“When police kept a watch on their flat, they thought that I was the person who had told the police about their activities,” the daily quoted Farouk as saying.
Farouk was all praise for the Riyadh police for the quick action. “I could not believe it, but the police arrested the gang members and released my wife within a very short space of time,” he said, and thanked the police officers for their efforts.
Farouk said his wife is still in hospital receiving treatment, adding that she was traumatized since the criminals repeatedly raped her one after the other.
