50 days after FIR, man booked for raping 16-year-old still at large

More than 50 days after a case was registered against 65-year-old businessman Harbans Dhall for allegedly raping his 16-year-old maid, Jalandhar police have failed to make any headway in the investigation of the case, as they claim that the accused has been absconding since then.

More than 50 days after a case was registered against 65-year-old businessman Harbans Dhall for allegedly raping his 16-year-old maid, Jalandhar police have failed to make any headway in the investigation of the case, as they claim that the accused has been absconding since then.

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They also claim that Dhall's family members, including his wife and a daughter-in-law, and Dr Amrit Kaur, who allegedly forcibly made the rape victim undergo an abortion, are also at large.

However, investigation by an HT team has revealed that some family members have been visiting Dhall's house in Chopra Colony near Wadala Chowk.

The case
As per the information available, the 16-year old victim had been working for the businessman as a maid for the last three years, and was getting Rs 1,500 per month as salary.

In the FIR registered on September 25, the victim complained that Dhall allegedly raped her many times when he was alone at home in the past few months, and threatened her with dire consequences if she raised alarm.

She said in the first week of September, her health started deteriorating, and as there was no improvement in her condition even after medical treatment, her mother informed the Dhalls that she would not work for them anymore due to ill health.

However, on September 15, Dhall's wife and daughter in-law came to her house and took the victim to a private hospital near Ravidass Chowk, where Dr Amrit Kaur found that she was pregnant and forced her to undergo an abortion.

A case was registered against Harbans Dhall, his wife and daughter in-law, and Dr Amrit Kaur under various sections of the Indian Penal Code on September 25.

The doctor had applied for bail, but the appeal was rejected.

The victim's mother, who also works as a maid, told HT that her daughter was not well and was resting at home.

HT finds people visiting 'locked' house
An HT team visiting Chopra Colony was informed that some of the family members still visited the locked house. When they reached the house, they saw a person open the locked gate and enter the house. The person stayed inside for around 20 minutes, came out, locked the gate, and left in a white car.

Officialspeak
Bhargo Camp station house officer Barjinder Singh told HT, "All the accused booked in this case are absconding."

Adding that a local court had rejected Dr Amrit Kaur's bail application and the Dhalls' house was locked since the registration of the case, he disclosed that the procedure to declare the accused 'proclaimed offenders' had begun.

Additional commissioner of police (west) Ravindar Pal Singh Sandhu claimed that police had conducted many raids at the houses of Dhall's relatives, but to no avail.

Informed that some family members of Dhall were visiting the house, he claimed, "I do not have any information about this, and would immediately depute the SHO to look into it."

Sandhu also denied allegations that a Bharatiya Janata Party leader was exerting pressure in this case, and claimed that the accused would be nabbed soon.

Police commissioner Ram Singh said arrest warrants for the accused had been issued, and he would ask the ACP to immediately visit Chopra Colony.