A 20-year-old, believed to be of Indian-origin, was allegedly raped in the United Kingdom’s (UK) West Midlands. According to the West Midlands Police, the attack on the woman was carried out because of her racial identity.
Detective Superintendent (DS) Ronan Tyrer, who is overseeing the investigation for the West Midlands Police, said, “This was an absolutely appalling attack on a young woman, and we are doing absolutely everything we can to arrest the person responsible.”
“We have teams of officers recovering evidence and building a profile of the attacker so that he can be brought into custody as soon as possible. While we are following multiple lines of enquiry right now, it’s vital that we get to hear from anyone who saw a man acting suspiciously in the area at the time,” he added.
UK Police Issues Urgent Appeal
The UK Police issued an urgent appeal after the crime was reported, requesting citizens to trace a white male suspect after the “racially aggravated” rape. The incident was brought to light on Saturday when the police received a call about a woman in distress and sitting in the middle of a street in the Park Hall area of Walsall.
“It may be that you were driving through the area and have dashcam footage, or you have CCTV that we have not yet recovered. Your information could be the vital breakthrough that we need,” he said.
The West Midlands police have released CCTV camera footage of the suspect as part of a public appeal for information. Police have described the suspect as a white man in his 30s, with short hair and wearing dark clothing at the time of the attack.
“At this stage, we are not linking this attack to any other offences,” DS Tyrer said in his statement.
Sikh Federation UK Say Victim A ‘Punjabi Woman’
Although official confirmation is awaited, local community groups have claimed that the victim is a Punjabi woman.
Sikh Federation UK cited local sources to say that the “young woman who was subject to a racially aggravated rape in Walsall is a Punjabi woman”.
“The attacker apparently broke down the door of the house where she was living… West Midlands Police have now had two racially aggravated rapes of young women in their 20s in the last two months and urgently need to find those responsible,” the organisation said.
Meanwhile, officers of the West Midlands Police’s Public Protection Unit, forensic officers, and local policing officers are working to identify and nab the suspect. Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby of Walsall Police stated tht his team’s focus is on supporting the investigators in identifying and arresting the attacker.
The Sikh Community has expressed concern as the latest attack comes weeks after another British Sikh woman was raped in the nearby Oldbury area in a racially aggravated attack.
