Sultanpuri gangrape: 3 acquitted after victim turns hostile

Three men, accused of abducting and raping an 18-year-old girl after a tiff with her over a minor issue, have been acquitted by a Delhi court as the victim turned hostile.

Three men, accused of abducting and raping an 18-year-old girl after a tiff with her over a minor issue, have been acquitted by a Delhi court as the victim turned hostile.

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Pronouncing the verdict, Additional Sessions Judge Manoj Jain said, "To the utter dismay of prosecution, the victim has turned hostile and she has not supported the case of prosecution. All the accused are acquitted of all charges."

The court acquitted Sultanpuri residents Rama, Chander Pal and Manish of the charges of abduction, gangrape and other penal provisions of IPC in the incident that took place last December.

According to the prosecution, when the girl had gone to fetch water along with her neighbour Ravi during night, a rashly driven car nearly hit the latter on the main road of Sultanpuri area in Outer Delhi district. Later, it stopped near them.

Infuriated over this, the girl threw a bunch of keys on the car's window panes following which four men came out of the vehicle and forcibly pushed her into it. They took her to Mangolpuri Industrial area where one of the accused Rama allegedly demanded money for the broken window pane.

The prosecution submitted that when the girl expressed her inability to pay the money, the accused allegedly raped her.

It said Ravi called a PCR van and informed about the incident. After a short while, the police traced the car and apprehended the accused persons.