The son of a Bharatiya Janata Party leader in Chhattisgarh is among the three accused of gangraping a 36-year-old woman in the state's Mahasamund district. Jasbir Singh's son Princely Saluja has been absconding since the woman lodged a complaint on October 14, while the two others – Devendra and Farid Ali – were arrested the next day, The Indian Express reported on Monday.

A senior police officer said, "On the night of October 11, the victim and her sister had stepped out of their home to relieve themselves. The three men had been waiting for them and had forced the victim inside their vehicle. They took her to a secluded spot and allegedly raped her."

Police have seized the vehicle, which belongs to Saluja. The three accused have been booked for gangrape and criminal intimidation under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The woman had been visiting her family in the district's Pirda village for Dussera. She works as a cook in a private school in Bhatapara district's Balodabazaar. Saluja's father was the former president of a local BJP unit in the state.