A 20-YEAR-OLD woman, identified as being of Indian heritage, was allegedly raped in what police believe was a “racially aggravated” attack in the West Midlands region of England over the weekend. The police said a 32-year-old man was arrested on Monday morning after a manhunt was launched in the wake of the attack on Saturday evening. The West Midlands Police said they were called to the Park Hall area of Walsall following concerns for the welfare of a woman in distress in the street.

 

Detective Superintendent (DS) Ronan Tyrer, who is overseeing the investigation for the force, described the arrest in the Perry Barr area of the region as a “significant development”. “Our investigation will progress today, and, as always, our priority is the woman who was the subject of this attack,” said DS Tryer. “She has been updated this morning and will continue to receive full support from specially trained officers,” he said. On Sunday, the force released CCTV footage of the suspect, a white male in his 30s, as part of an urgent public appeal for information related to the crime they are investigating 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,” DS Tyrer said at the time.