ACP heads SIT probing F’bad gangrape

Tribune News Service

Faridabad, January 15

The police have intensified efforts to nab the culprits who reportedly gang-raped a 23-year-old woman in a moving vehicle on Saturday night. The police were clueless so far regarding the identity of the accused and the vehicle used in the crime.

According to the report lodged with the police, the victim, employed with a private concern in Sector 16 here, was waiting for an auto-rickshaw at the Old Faridabad chowk to go home in Sector 4 here around 6 pm.

A vehicle stopped in front of her and she was pulled inside by some unidentified youths. The vehicle was driven towards Palwal. It was reported that three youths took turns to rape her while the vehicle was being driven around for around two hours.

The victim was later dropped near a petrol pump on National Highway-2 near Seekri village, about 15 km from here, around 9.15 pm. The police, which got the victim medically examined, registered a case of abduction and rape against the accused, who absconded after the crime.

The victim was traced by her kin after she made a call to her cousin from the petrol pump. Though the victim told the police that a Scorpio was used in the crime, she could not note down its registration number.

“We are working on arresting the culprits as soon as possible,” said Commissioner of Police Hanif Qureshi. He said an SIT headed by ACP Pooja Dabla had begun its probe and several teams of the crime branch cell had been pressed into service to locate the accused, who were yet to be identified.

He said four youths were involved, with one of them driving the vehicle during the crime. Teams had been sent to several possible hideouts in the district and neighbouring areas of Palwal and Mewat, he said. An appeal had been issued for help from residents, he added.

Besides getting CCTV footage from various spots, the police had been collecting details of vehicles sold recently from various showrooms as the SUV was white and had a temporary registration number, said police sources.