In a development in the Mysuru gang-rape case, the survivor woman’s boyfriend has identified the accused persons through their photographs. Six accused persons, including a juvenile, have been arrested so far. A special 20-member team is in Tamil Nadu’s Tirupur to trace the seventh accused in the crime, in which the woman was gang-raped and her boyfriend assaulted at Mysuru’s Chamundi foothills on August 24.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the survivor woman has returned to her hometown and has not yet given her statement to the police. According to IANS, police sources said the government and police departments are not in a hurry to record the statement considering the survivor’s state.
The police began the investigation based on the statement of the complainant, the survivor’s boyfriend, who had said that the accused spoke in Tamil. They used the bus tickets and liquor bottles near the crime scene as well as mobile phone data to trace the accused. The police also conducted a "spot mahajar" — investigating the crime scene and working out a sequence of events along with the accused. They also seized the clothes that the accused wore on the day of the crime.
Meanwhile, the special team in Tirupur is facing hurdles in nabbing the seventh accused as his phone is switched off. The police are aware that the accused is in touch with his relatives, however, he has managed to give the police the slip. The team in Tirupur has tracked down all his friends and relatives.
The police, according to IANS, have taken three of the accused to Tirupur after getting consent from the court. They are also collecting details from Tamil Nadu police stations on the criminal background of the accused.
Police sources said that the sixth accused tried to attack the policemen with a knife when they tracked him down but he was taken into custody. He lived alone in his home and police have recovered weapons and liquor bottles from the spot.
The accused have revealed to the police that when they attacked the victim and her boyfriend, they had blackmailed them asking them to arrange Rs 3 lakh. When the man called his house, it became clear that the money was not coming, and raped the woman, sources told IANS.
The gruesome incident took place when the survivor and her boyfriend had visited the foothills of the Chamundi hill. The accused had observed the victims frequenting the spot and planned the attack, according to IANS.
The incident made national headlines and many staged protests across the state, which put pressure on the Karnataka police department.
Opposition leader Siddaramaiah had criticised the government and pressed for the survivor’s statement to be recorded, stating the legal provision to get her statement. Although section 164 of the Code Of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) deals with recording confessions and statements, it also mentions that giving statement/confession should be voluntary.
(With input from IANS)