Tens of thousands of people poured into the streets of Hyderabad, and elsewhere across the state of Telangana, as the accused appeared before a district magistrate on Saturday. Police had to call in reinforcements to prevent lynching and escort the suspects thought the angry masses in one piece.

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As the crowd grew increasingly violent, throwing slippers at the officers and refusing to let them pass, police were forced use batons to disperse the mob.

The accused – two lorry drivers and their accomplices, identified as Mohammed Areef (26), Jollu Shiva (20), Jollu Naveen (20) and Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu (20) – confessed to the crime and were sent to 14-day pre-trial custody.

The gang deliberately punctured one of the wheels of Priyanka Reddy’s bike to stall her and offer “help” with repairs, police commissioner VC Sajjanar told a press conference. She was then dragged away from the toll road, raped and strangled. Her body was taken some 25km away and burnt under a bridge.

The harrowing crime resonated throughout Indian society, with crowds of protesters virtually besieging the police station since Friday, demanding that the accused be publicly hanged or burned to death. Authorities promised to fast-track the proceedings, making everything possible to make sure they  are sentenced to death.

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