New Delhi: The gruesome gang rape survivor lay quietly on a bed at the AIIMS Trauma Center, lost in thought. A group of police were waiting outside, hoping he would say something that would help them catch his attackers. It was a blind case. Let alone the identity and number of the attackers, even the time and place of the crime were unknown. The woman was found battered, in pain and unable or unwilling to speak at the Saray Kale Inn. Constable Sangeeta went to the ward disguised as a social worker. After consulting an advisor AIIMS Trauma Center The cops also hired an Odia translator to work as a nurse, the administration said. The duo is tasked with taking care of the survivor while building trust and gathering information.
It took a while for the survivor to open up. When asked how many men attacked her, she showed three fingers. “One of them was disabled and they had a car,” he told the undercover duo. He also said the word ‘station’. She was unable to disclose other details, such as the time and location of the rape, due to pre-existing mental health issues and the trauma of the horrific experience.
Joint commissioner of police Sanjay Jain constituted a special team and 10 sub-teams led by DCP Ravi Kumar Singh and ACP Aishwarya Singh to pursue the case. Sub-inspector Shubham Chaudhary prepared a location plan identifying more than 700 government and private CCTV cameras installed on main and secondary roads from the spot where the woman was found on October 11. Investigators got their first clue when they found CCTV footage. Photograph showing the victim leaving the Old Delhi Railway Station waiting room at 10.14am on October 10.
The team then collected images from cameras at Kashmir Gate, Red Fort, Daryaganj, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Rajghat-Shantivan, Rajghat Depot Bypass, ITO, Mathura Road, PWD headquarters, DTC headquarters, Indraprastha depot and petrol and CNG pumps between ITO and ITO. analyzed. Saray Kale Han. This helped prepare an electronic map of the route the survivor likely took.
After carefully examining the possible route taken by the woman, more than 150 autorickshaws identified by both visible and invisible license plate numbers were confirmed. The major breakthrough came when an autorickshaw was spotted parked near the crime scene. Later, the same car was seen moving and stopping at another location.
“Here the driver got out of the vehicle and crossed the road,” DCP Singh said. “This spot was where we got the partial number plate. After much effort, the autorickshaw was correctly identified as bearing number DL1RAA 9327 and its driver on the night of October 10-11 was identified as Prabhu Mahto.” Registration details were used to trace the driver. An officer revealed that Mahto’s mobile location was tracked and matched the location in the CCTV footage.
Continuous efforts were made to locate the defendant and Mahto was arrested on 30 October. He was interrogated for a long time and on November 2 helped the cops identify and capture the second accused, Pramod alias Babu. A third person was allegedly involved in the incident. The culprit, Mohmmad Shamshul, was arrested on November 4. The successful manhunt lasted 21 days.
“We will ensure that the accused gets maximum punishment under the law,” said a senior police officer. According to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, anyone accused of involvement in gang rape can be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a period of not less than 20 years and may last for life; this would mean imprisonment for the remainder of that person’s natural life. An additional fine may also be charged.