In the shocking gangrape of a 19-year-old college girl student in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district three days ago, one of the three accused is an Armyman posted in Rajasthan and a police team has been sent to arrest him, police said on Saturday.
The Haryana police set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to their arrest, said Haryana’s Director General of Police BS Sandhu.
The victim’s father has said 8 or 10 men may have raped her but she could identify only three of them. The woman, who topped the CBSE Board exam and was felicitated by the Government, was abducted at a bus stop in Kanina town on Wednesday while she was on way to a coaching class, police said. She was then allegedly drugged and gangraped at a secluded spot. Sandhu confirmed on Saturday that one of the accused is an Armyman posted in Rajasthan.
The hunt for the other two accused is also on, he added, expressing confidence that they will land in police net soon. All the three accused were known to the victim. Sandhu said the Armyman — who allegedly raped the woman was identified as Pankaj, posted in Kota — was on leave and expected to rejoin later in the day. In Jaipur, Lt Gen Cherish Mathson, who heads the South Western Command, said the Army will help bring the rape accused to book.
“We do not shelter criminals. We would facilitate in searching out the accused, and will make sure that if any Army man is found involved in the rape case, he is brought to the book,” he told reporters at an Army event.
Sandhu said an FIR was registered as soon as the victim lodged her complaint, and a medical examination conducted. She was kidnapped by three men who arrived in a car and was taken to a secluded place where she was gangraped after being offered a drink laced with sedatives, the complainant had alleged. The accused later left her near a bus stop in Kanina the same day.
Also on Saturday, the National Commission for Women (NCW) condemned the incident and asked the Haryana police chief to give an update on the probe. The SIT led by Nuh Superintendent of Police Naazneen Bhasin, visited the crime spot. Bhasin told reporters in Rewari that the sketches of the accused will soon be released by police.
Their antecedents are also being checked for any past criminal record. She said a medical examination had confirmed rape. The victim’s mother had accused police of delay in acting after a complaint was filed, but Bhasin countered the charge.
She said police sent out raiding teams when they were told about the crime. “But the accused had left the place on the day of incident, according to their mobile forensics.”
Multiple teams have been formed to nab them, she said. The SP said police personnel attended to the victim properly. “The most important factor was to make the victim comfortable to take her statement in a sensitive way,” she said, adding there was no delay in this procedure.
The case evoked sharp reaction from the Opposition parties. They demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on moral grounds, saying the State had failed to protect its daughters.
