Teenage girls raped and robbed while out for a walk fined for violating coronavirus lockdown orders
Two young teenage girls in Russia were sexually assaulted and robbed when they stepped out for a walk during Russia's coronavirus lockdown.
The girls are now facing fines for violating the strict lockdown rules. The two girls aged 17 and 18 were attacked in Krasnoyarsk last month after residents were prohibited from going outside their homes unless there was an emergency.
One of the girls had been raped while the other one was seriously sexually assaulted. The two were also robbed of their jewelry and their phones. The girls had also reported the attack to the authorities. Police sources also revealed to a local newspaper that one of the teenagers had also been subjected to "violent acts of sexual nature" as the other one was raped.
The police arrested a man, 55, who had been found in possession of their stolen items. The man is currently being investigated for sex crimes with robbery with violence. "The unknown man stole their cellphones and jewelry under threat of violence, then committed acts of sexual violence against both of them and disappeared," the police department was quoted as saying," The Moscow Times reports.
The police are also looking at protocols against the two girls for violating orders and stepping out without a valid reason.
As per the rules, the fines can go up to $50 each. According to the head of the press service of the Krasnoyarsk Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ekaterina Rositskaya, the fact that the girls were getting fined was confirmed, reports Daily Mail.
"After finding them on the street at night — without urgent need — the police drew up reports and sent them to the district administration," Rositkaya revealed. She added that the exact fine charged is still being discussed.
Local newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda had also shed some light on how the rape victim "'will be punished for violation of self-isolation." Another local newspaper Tayga had headlined its story, "Victims of sexual violence accused of violating self-isolation mode in Krasnoyarsk."
It has been reported that the families of the victims are fighting the fines. The sickening incident had occurred on April 20 but details of the attack have only been revealed now.
During that time in April, citizens had not been allowed out of their homes except if they were walking a dog, going to see a doctor or visiting a nearby shop or chemist. The victims had been friends for a long time but were not supposed to be meeting under the lockdown rules.
Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed that from Tuesday onwards the coronavirus lockdown will be eased off a bit, and businesses will go back to work. He shared that the country's "non-working period" had gone on for around six weeks, BBC reported.
Putin revealed that by easing the restrictions all sectors of the economy will be affected, but some regions may continue to enforce stricter lockdown procedures if necessary.
As per data from John Hopkins University, Russia has seen around 232,243 confirmed cases of coronavirus. It has also seen around 2,116 deaths so far. Russia has the second-highest number of confirmed cases across the globe.