Gang rape accused let off as victim goes missing

Two men accused of gang-raping a 30-year old woman have been let off by a Delhi court as the alleged victim is untraceable.

Two men accused of gang-raping a 30-year old woman have been let off by a Delhi court as the alleged victim is untraceable.

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Additional sessions judge Nisha Saxena let off alleged rapists Brij Pal and Satpal after the police told the court that victim had left her last known address along with her husband and was not traceable.

"The prosecutrix who was the crucial witness in the present case, has not been examined by the prosecution. She was the best witness to depose about the manner in which the incident had occurred. Several efforts made to secure her presence proved futile when it was reported that for the last one year she was not residing at the address given and had left along with her husband," the court said.

The case dated back to April 2010 when the woman was found lying unconscious in an under-construction house.

She was then taken to the GTB hospital where she was found to be intoxicated, often making incoherent statements about her alleged rape by Brij Pal and Satpal and denying the same in the same breath.

The next day, she, however, told police that she was working as a labourer and consumed alcohol with masons Brijpal and Satpal and when she was about to sleep, they both raped her after which she was left in an unconscious state.

The accused and other independent witnesses deposed in the court but the alleged victim could not be traced. Several efforts made to secure her presence proved futile when it was reported that for the last one year she was not residing at the address given to the police and had left along with her husband.It caters to around five lakh commuters everyday.