23-year-old walks free in gang-rape case

Chandigarh, December 12

A local court acquitted a 23-year-old in a gang-rape case today. Pappu Kumar of Hallo Majra was acquitted after the prosecution failed to prove the case. The other two accused, Mahesh Kumar and Babu Ram, were declared proclaimed offenders by the court earlier.

Pappu was arrested on October 20 last year after a complaint was filed by the victim, a domestic worker. As per her complaint on January 15, 2016, she was on her way to Sector 21 from Kaimbwala wherein the three accused stopped her near Sector 19 and allegedly offered her tea and laddoos. She alleged that they had mixed something in the ladoos due to which she lost consciousness after which a tea vendor, Bimla, sister of one of the accused, offered to drop her home. 

When she woke up the next morning, she found herself naked with Pappu who told her he had slept with her and captured the videos of the act and threatened her. It continued till June, wherein she even lodged a formal complaint with the police but to no avail. She got pregnant and delivered a baby in August after which she lodged a complaint against the accused on October 20, 2016, and the three men, along with Bimla, were booked for gang rape and criminal conspiracy.

The defence counsel of Pappu said the DNA report was negative. Also, the woman kept changing her statements in the court due to which the prosecution was unable to prove the case and the court, acquitted the accused.

Man acquitted in rape case

A 25-year-old city resident has been acquitted of rape charges by a local court today as the prosecution failed to prove the case. Gautam Sagar was arrested in January on the complaint of his brother’s wife. However, the case could not be proved in the court and Sagar was let off.

As per the complaint given by the woman, she got married in 2007 and was staying with her husband and in-laws in Sector 38 (West) since then. Sagar stayed with them for three to four months and was then ousted by her in-laws due to his behaviour with her. He started staying in Dadu Majra after that and the two talked over the phone.

The complainant said Sagar needed money to go to his native village in Uttar Pradesh and she mortgaged her gold earrings for the same. Later, Sagar took the earrings from a jeweller and she went to his place to collect them. However, she was raped by Sagar after she drank milk he had offered as it was laced with an intoxicant.

During the trial, the complainant admitting to having visited Sagar twice before the incident and while he was in jail as well, informed defence counsel Inderjit Bassi. “She also admitted to having consensual physical relations in the past with him.” Bassi added. — TNS