Three of five accused held in Rohtak rape

CHANDIGARH: Police have arrested three of the five men accused of gang-raping a Dalit woman twice in three years in Haryana.

CHANDIGARH: Police have arrested three of the five men accused of gang-raping a Dalit woman twice in three years in Haryana.

HT Image

The 21-year-old daughter of a charpoy-maker was assaulted by the five men first in Bhiwani in 2013, forcing her family to move to Rohtak. They allegedly abducted the woman from a local college a second time last Wednesday, and gang-raped her before dumping her near Sukhpura Chowk.

Haryana director general of police KP Singh said on Tuesday three of the accused have been caught in Rohtak, while the other two were on the run. The woman reportedly told police that she was raped again by the five accused because she was unwilling to withdraw the case against them. But one of the accused ‘s wife alleged that the complainant demanded Rs 50 lakh to withdraw the case.

A rape case was registered against the three accused – besides absconders — on the basis of her complaint the next day, he added.

The DGP claimed it was police – not passersby – who found the victim lying unconscious near Sukhpura Chowk, and admitted her to a hospital.

The three arrested people approached police with CCTV footage as evidence that they were not in Rohtak on the day of the alleged incident.

While two showed footage “proving” that they were in Bhiwani on Wednesday, a third came up with evidence that he was in Ambala.

The family of the fourth accused reportedly approached the police with a mobile phone indication of his location that day.