A 20-year-old woman of Indian descent was raped in what police are treating as a racially aggravated attack in Walsall, northern England.
The suspect, described as a white man in his 30s, remains at large as police release CCTV images and urge witnesses to come forward.
The assault follows a similar racially motivated rape of a British Sikh woman nearby, sparking fears among South Asian communities.
Following the “racially aggravated” rape of a 20-year-old woman of Indian descent, the UK police have issued an urgent appeal to trace the while male suspect in northern England.
According to the West Midlands Police, they were called to the Walsall Park Hall neighbourhood on Saturday night after receiving reports of a distressed woman in the street. As part of a public appeal for information, the force made CCTV images of the suspect public and stated that they are investigating the assault "as a racially aggravated attack."
“This was an absolutely appalling attack on a young woman, and we are doing absolutely everything we can to arrest the person responsible,” Detective Superintendent (DS) Ronan Tyrer, who is overseeing the investigation for the West Midlands Police, said on Sunday.
“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 said.
“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 attacker is described as white, in his 30s, with short hair and wearing dark clothing at the time of the attack. While the police are yet to confirm further details, local community groups have claimed that the victim is a Punjabi woman and expressed concerns as the latest attack comes weeks after the racially aggravated rape of a British Sikh woman in the nearby Oldbury area.
“At this stage, we are not linking this attack to any other offences,” DS Tyrer said in his statement.
According to reports, forensic officers, local policing officers, and specialist officers from the force's Public Protection Unit are attempting to identify the culprit, get CCTV camera footage, and interview witnesses.
Walsall Police Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby stated that his team's primary goal is to assist the detectives in locating and apprehending the assailant.
“Walsall is a diverse area, and we know the fear and concern that this awful attack will cause in our communities. We have been speaking to people in the community today to listen to and understand their concerns, and there will be an increased policing presence in the coming days,” he said.
Sikh Federation UK quoted 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.
The force has made a few arrests before releasing the suspects on bail in their investigation into the racially aggravated rape of a British Sikh woman in Oldbury last month.
With PTI inputs.
