MALOUT DALIT WOMAN’S RAPE: Second accused held, case ‘solved’

MALOUT DALIT WOMAN’S RAPE

Second accused held, case ‘solved’

Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Malout, April 24

A month after a 22-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by a native of her own village, Kandukhera, on March 25, the Malout police today claimed to have nabbed the remaining second accused and solved the case. 

The car used to abduct the woman was also seized today, the police said.

Jagdeep Singh ‘Jojo’, the main accused in the case, had surrendered at a local court on Friday. He was “caught on camera” dragging the woman about 100 ft from outside her workplace (a computer centre) on Indira Road here on March 25.

Talking to The Tribune, Manwinderbir Singh, DSP, Malout, said, “During questioning, Jagdeep Jojo, who is on three-day police remand, had yesterday said that he, along with his friend Sandeep Singh ‘Seepa’, had abducted the woman and taken her to Seepa’s house in Tappa Khera village.

“We arrested Seepa from Malout town today. The car used to abduct the victim has also been seized from Kandukhera village from the location disclosed by Jojo. The case has been solved.”

The victim’s parents had lodged a complaint with the City Malout police on March 30 alleging that the woman was dragged, abducted from Malout and raped at a house in Tappa Khera village. A case under Sections 341, 342, 363, 366, 376, 34 of the IPC was registered. The accused had left the woman at Malout bus stand the same day, as per their statement.

However, no arrest had been made till about a month and that too after the complainants produced video footage of the accused allegedly dragging the woman.

A report in this regard had first appeared in The Tribune on April 20 “Despite footage, rape accused still at large”. Thereafter, the police, facing flak from various quarters, had added Sections 3, 4 of the Prevention of Atrocities (Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes) Act to the FIR and directed SP, Malout, Balraj Singh, to supervise the investigation.

Both Kandukhera and Tappa Khera villages fall in the CM’s home turf Lambi. The prime accused, Jojo, is said to be an aide of a politician of this VVIP Assembly segment. Jojo had allegedly tried to reach a compromise with the victim’s family by offering them Rs 20 lakh a few days ago.

Courtesy: The Tribune