Victim yet to inform parents, worried about their health

CHANDIGARH: The 22-year-old gang rape victim is yet to inform her parents about the incident. The victim recorded her statement under Section 164 of the CrPC in the court today. She was accompanied by two male friends there, but no family members.

Girls say they no more feel safe travelling by autos in Chandigarh. Tribune Photo: Ravi Kumar

Ishrat S Banwait

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 20

The 22-year-old gang rape victim is yet to inform her parents about the incident. The victim recorded her statement under Section 164 of the CrPC in the court today. She was accompanied by two male friends there, but no family members. The victim has asked the police not to try and contact her parents as she is worried about their health.

The victim herself has not been keeping well and has reportedly suffered from low blood pressure after the incident. The victim is reportedly dissatisfied with the police and has asked them why it is taking them so long to find the accused. However, the victim has not been able to help the police much.

The victim has told the police that she was talking to her mother on the phone while boarding the auto. Soon after, she started chatting with someone and did not notice the accused carefully or listen in to their conversations. The auto was stopped saying that it had developed a technical snag and as soon as the victim got out of the vehicle, her mouth was covered and she was dragged into the forests. Her phone fell from her hand and, as per the police, was possibly taken by the accused as they have not been able to find it.

The accused committed the crime in a pitch dark forest area and hence, she could not see them once again. The police said the girl was not even able to describe the clothes of the accused for the same reason. The victim has also told the police that none of the accused was seen using a mobile phone and might not possess one.

The police are yet to make any arrest in the case and have confirmed that the accused is not registered with any auto-rickshaw union. No record of his is available in the city and neither has anyone identified him from his photograph till now. The police believe that the accused is a hardened criminal as per the victim’s description. The accused did not drop any hints regarding their identity and were careful not to take any names.

SSP Jagdale Nilambari Vijay believes that the “investigation is going in the right direction”. She held a meeting with the beat staff today and issued fresh instructions regarding the case. The search has been directed towards the unregistered and temporarily registered auto-rickshaws in the region.