Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): Mahakal TI Ajay Verma has shown his willingness to adopt the 12-year-old victim of the sensational Ujjain minor rape case. According to SP, if any person or social organisation wants to make monetary contributions for her help, it can be done only after the consent of her parents.
The victim's parents are separated and the girl lives with her father and grandfather in Satna. Her grandfather was expected to reach Indore on Thursday and likely to come to Ujjain on Friday.
Auto-rickshaw driver arrested
The police on Thursday evening claimed to have arrested main accused Bharat Soni, an auto-rickshaw driver, in connection with highly sensational rape case of a 13-year-old and mentally unfit girl from Satna here on September 25.
SP Sachin Sharma told a crowded press conference at Police Control Room that on the basis of interrogation made with at least six witnesses including four auto-rickshaw drivers, the police finally zeroed its investigation on one Bharat (24), son of Raju Soni, resident of Nanakheda, who operates an auto-rickshaw having name Arjun mentioned on his vehicle. He committed the crime with the girl between 3 and 6 am on September 25.
After arresting the accused formally when the police team took him to Jeewankhedi located on Simhastha (Indore-Nagda via Shanti Palace Chouraha) Bypass Road. The accused, on reaching the spot, started pelting stones at the police team, where SI Pratik Yadav and head constable Sunil Patidar sustained minor injuries. The accused also got leg injuries as he tried to escape and fell into a pit there, the SP said.
'Not Gang rape'
Responding to a volley of questions, the SP primarily denied that the victim got victimised by a gang rape or brutality like that of the much-talked-about Delhi’s Nirbhaya case was made with her. “The girl does not endorse the names and number of the accused nor did it have been medically confirmed that any instrument was injected into her private parts. Moreover, it would also be incorrect either legally or morally to divulge such things,” he commented.
The SP also declined to inform about the place of the crime and how the accused met the victim. When specifically asked why, by which medium and at what time she reached Ujjain, he said that the kidnapping report of the girl was registered in Satna district on September 24 and it would be ascertained when Satna police reached Ujjain.
According to SP, the Mahakal police had found the victim girl at about 10.15 am on September 25 in quite pitiable condition. As she was not in the condition to say anything about her incident or accused, she was given basic treatment here and was then referred to a hospital in Indore where she was operated on by expert surgeons on September 26. After two days, her condition became stable, but still, she was under observation of doctors and psychiatrists.
Meanwhile, to know about the accused a 28-member SIT was formed and a reward of Rs 10,000 was also announced for giving information about the accused. Around 1,000 CCTV cameras mounted across the city were checked and technical and other evidence were collected on the statements of residents of the Simhastha Bypass Road. Information was also collected from the railway stations and bus stands.
ACCUSED BOOKED FOR ONE MORE CASE
Main accused Bharat Soni admitted to District Hospital | FP Photo
The Neelganga police registered a case under Section 225-B (resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension or escape or rescue in cases not otherwise provided for), 353 (the offence of assault upon a public servant by causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter or obstruct him in the discharge of duties) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to any person being a public servant in the discharge of his duty as such public servant or with intent to prevent or deter that person or any other public servant from discharging his duty) of the IPC against main accused Bharat Soni.
He was already made main accused in the present rape case under Sections 376 and 376 (3) of the IPC and Section 3/4/2 of the POCSO Act. After obtaining the court’s permission, the police will probably recreate the scene of incident in presence of Soni on Friday.
Previously, the same accused was booked under Section 279 and 337 of the IPC in Madhav Nagar and Section 294, 323, 506-34 of the IPC in Nanakheda police stations.
AUTO DRIVER BOOKED FOR NON-REPORTING
The police also booked a driver Rakesh Malviya of the auto-rickshaw (MP 13 R 4587) under Section 166-A (knowingly disobeys any direction of the law) of the IPC for not providing information regarding the victim girl. The girl had sat in his auto-rickshaw on the fateful day and the police also found blood stains on the front and back seat of this vehicle.
The investigation team had lifted Malviya from his residence a couple of days ago and primarily he was considered to be the prime accused in the rape case.
‘WRONG NARRATIVE WAS SET’
A CCTV grab shows victim roaming here and there | FP Photo
During the press conference, SP Sachin Sharma said that a wrong narrative was set that the victim girl kept on roaming for many hours on long distances in pitiable conditions after the incident and nobody heard her or helped her. Not only did the awakened people of Ujjain give vital clues to police, but several residents of the places related to the incident gave her money, clothes, food, water, etc.
“As a captain of the police department, I express my deepest gratitude towards all such awakened people of Ujjain,” the SP said. He, however, said that a database of all auto-rickshaws, e-rickshaws and Magic drivers would be collected and identity cards would be issued to them to ensure that such type of incidents do not reoccur.
