Indian-origin woman sexually assaulted in UK over racial identity, police release suspects cctv

PTC News Desk: A 20-year-old woman of Indian origin was sexually assaulted in the United Kingdon's (UK) West Midlands over alleged racial identity, according to the West Midlands Police. 

This was an absolutely appalling attack on a young woman, and we are doing absolutely everything we can to arrest the person responsible,” senior police officer Ronan Tyrer, who is overseeing the investigation, 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,” Tyrer added.

“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 further noted.

The incident came to light on Saturday after police responded to reports of a distressed woman sitting in the middle of the road in Walsall’s Park Hall area, following a sexually motivated assault. Upon reviewing CCTV footage, West Midlands Police released an image of the suspect and appealed to local residents to assist in identifying him.

The case has sparked outrage among several UK politicians. Condemning the attack, Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana wrote on X, “On Saturday, a woman of Punjabi heritage was raped in a racist attack in Walsall. Just last month, a Sikh woman was raped in a racist attack in Oldbury. These horrific crimes reveal how racism and misogyny reinforce one another — driven by the growing tide of fascism and hate. As a woman of colour, I know how real and terrifying this threat is. We must unite — against racism, fascism, and misogyny — and fight for a socialist society rooted in equality, justice, and solidarity.”

Preet Kaur Gill, an MP from the ruling Labour Party, also condemned the incident by calling it deeply shocking. “Deeply shocked and saddened that we are hearing of yet another racially aggravated rape this time in Walsall,” she wrote on X.