Two Niteshs, one father's name: How a child rapist walked free on bail

Their names were the same, their fathers’ too, but their crimes vastly different. And so it was that the Nitesh accused of repeatedly raping a minor boy was mistakenly released on bail instead of the Nitesh charged with trespassing.

That the two Niteshs were lodged in the same prison just added to the chain of coincidences, perhaps confounding the administration of Neemka Jail, Faridabad. Sadar police station SHO Umesh Kumar assured that a search is underway and that the rape accused will be nabbed soon.

Nitesh Pandey (27), son of Ravinder Pandey, was arrested in October 2021 for raping a nine-year-old boy in Faridabad.

Complicating matters, there is a second individual named Nitesh, who is 24-years-old and also has a father named Ravinder. He was jailed the previous Sunday on charges of house trespass and assault.

The second Nitesh, accused of assault, was granted bail on Monday by the Faridabad court Chief Judicial Magistrate.

Interestingly, even though both men share the same name, only one seems to have a surname. A factor enough to avoid any major confusion, however, Nitesh Pandey was freed instead of the Nitesh who was set to be released on Tuesday.

The jail administration, in an attempt appearing to shift blame, is now claiming that Nitesh Pandey managed to obtain his release by ‘hiding his identity’.

“We have lodged a complaint with the Sadar Police Station against Nitish Pandey for obtaining his release by hiding his identity,” Jail Deputy Superintendent Vikram Singh said.