A day after four persons were arrested in connection with the gangrape of an unidentified woman, the police on Monday said they have identified and located the victim. The 24-year-old victim is a resident of Ghaziabad district, police said.
"We have identified the victim and are trying to convince her to depose against the accused in court. We assure her of full police protection," senior superintendent of police (SSP) Raghubir Lal said. However, the police are yet to approach her. According to the SSP, the police have not approached her so far to save her the trauma of recollecting the incident, as "she is already in a state of shock".
"However, we assure that her identity will be kept a secret and women officials will be provided for her security. She must understand the complex nature of the case and cooperate with the police. In absence of her statement, the accused would be let off," the SSP added.
Police said the victim met her engineer friend on a social networking site six months ago and they met for the first time in person on Saturday, after which her friend took her to an isolated area near Raispur village, where the four accused overpowered them and raped her.
The victim's friend, a resident of Ghaziabad, is the son of a CPWD engineer. On Sunday, he lodged an FIR against the accused, alleging rape and robbery. In his complaint, he stated that he was returning to his house on his bike when he heard loud cries of a woman. When he went to have a look, he saw three men holding the woman and one raping her. When he tried to stop them, he was held at knifepoint and tied with a rope by two of the accused after which he fell unconscious. He also said the accused fled with his mobile and laptop and after he regained conscious, the woman and the accused were missing from the scene of crime. He, however, denied knowing the victim.
{{/usCountry}}The victim's friend, a resident of Ghaziabad, is the son of a CPWD engineer. On Sunday, he lodged an FIR against the accused, alleging rape and robbery. In his complaint, he stated that he was returning to his house on his bike when he heard loud cries of a woman. When he went to have a look, he saw three men holding the woman and one raping her. When he tried to stop them, he was held at knifepoint and tied with a rope by two of the accused after which he fell unconscious. He also said the accused fled with his mobile and laptop and after he regained conscious, the woman and the accused were missing from the scene of crime. He, however, denied knowing the victim.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the four accused, along with another suspect Manoj Kumar, were produced before a Ghaziabad court, which sent them to a judicial custody at Dasna district prison on Monday. The accused have already confessed to the crime.
Assuring full cooperation to the victim, the SSP said: "We are even willing to make sure that her case is heard at a court headed by a woman magistrate and her statements will be recorded in camera."
The SSP said the victim made some friends on a social networking site but her interactions were very formal with them, mostly related to enquiries about companies, jobs and education. "We have not approached the victim as we want her to give some time to muster up the courage to speak out against the crime. The SSP said the victim's friend is under surveillance and police cover has been provided to him, as he is the prime witness.