Panipat woman was gangraped at Kurukshetra station: SIT

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has found that the Panipat woman, whose leg was amputated in a train accident, was gangraped in a stationary train at the Kurukshetra railway station, and not Panipat, as was initially believed.

The SIT has nabbed two accused in the case, identified as Shivam of Kurukshetra and Bhajan Lal of Tohana in Fatehabad district. Bhajan Lal, who works as a railway technician, is posted at Kurukshetra. Shivam has a criminal record, with three cases already registered against him.

The GRP, Panipat, produced the accused in the court of the Duty Magistrate on Saturday, which sent them to two-day police custody.

SP Railways Nikita Gahlot formed the SIT under the supervision of DSP Railways Rajesh Sethi, following the victim's statement at the PGIMS, Rohtak, where she is undergoing treatment.

The 35-year-old woman from Panipat had gone missing on the night of June 24. Her husband lodged a complaint at Quila police station on June 26, and a case was registered on July 1. She was later found near Hindu College, Sonepat, with an amputated leg, apparently due to a train-related accident on June 25.

Admitted to the Sonepat Civil Hospital, she was referred to the PGIMS, where on July 4, she informed a doctor that she had been gangraped in a coach. Based on this, a zero FIR was registered by the Quila police and forwarded to the Panipat GRP.

Gahlot said the victim was unable to clearly identify the location of the assault due to her psychiatric condition, and the investigation was especially challenging due to the lack of concrete clues.

ASI Naresh, a woman officer in the SIT, played an important role by maintaining communication with the victim and guiding the team in the field.

The SIT reviewed CCTV footage at Panipat and Sonepat stations but found no leads. It then expanded the probe to Karnal and Kurukshetra, where CCTV footage and technical surveillance helped crack the case.

The SP said preliminary interrogation revealed that three-four more persons might have been involved in the assault. Police teams were collecting details to nab them.