‘Gangrape allegation was false’

In a sudden turn of events, police said the 35-year-old woman who alleged gangrape by five policemen including the SHO of Inderpuri police station retracted from her statement before a magistrate. HT Correspondent reports.

“She faked the gangrape story,” said Rajan Bhagat, Delhi Police spokesman.

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In a sudden turn of events, police said the 35-year-old woman who alleged gangrape by five policemen including the SHO of Inderpuri police station retracted from her statement before a magistrate on Friday.

The woman reportedly told the magistrate that she had cooked up the story to save her husband from the police.

Her allegation last Monday had triggered violent protests in the area with residents vandalizing the police station, damaging vehicles and injuring 15 people.

“In a statement before the magistrate on Thursday the woman said she feared that the police might take action against her husband who is into gambling. To save him, she faked the gangrape story so that the SHO would be transferred after the allegations,” Bhagat said.

SHO Pradeep Kumar had initiated a drive against gamblers and bootleggers in the area a month after taking charge.

In a seven-page statement before the court, the woman said she was the one responsible for all the allegations and no one else should be blamed for it.

“We would file the report in due course of time.”

The woman from Southwest Delhi's Inderpuri appeared before a magistrate in Dwarka court on her own and recorded her statement under Section 164 of CrPC.

“She told the court that her husband was into betting and when the new SHO came, he tightened his grip on criminals in the area. She feared that her husband will also be arrested,” said Bhagat.

Police had claimed on Tuesday that preliminary medical examination report has suggested that she was not sexually assaulted.

When asked by media persons outside the court whether she had retracted her allegations, she claimed that she had not given any statement in the court.

On being asked whether the SHO would be reinstated, the commissioner said the decision would be taken once the Crime Branch completes its investigations.

The woman had failed to identify the SHO, accused of raping her, during an identification parade on Thursday.