False rape case: A year on, Faridkot police fail to arrest two accused cops
FARIDKOT: Even a year after the Faridkot police booked two cops for registering a fake rape case against a city resident, the accused have not been arrested
After an inquiry conducted by director, Punjab Bureau of Investigation (PBI), a case was registered against sub-inspector (SI) Gurdeep Singh Pandher, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Angrej Singh, alleged rape victim Anjali alias Simarpreet Kaur and her husband Avtar Singh Tari in connection with the false case registered against Gurjit Singh, a resident of Guru Nanak Colony, Faridkot
However, the police have so far failed to arrest or take any action against the two policemen.
When contacted, Faridkot SSP Nanak Singh said, “The enquiry against the cops is pending with the crime wing at the Punjab Police headquarters. We will take the necessary action once we receive the report.”
On August 23, 2016, the police registered the rape case against Gurjit, his wife Khushi and an unknown person.
As per the first information report (FIR), the alleged rape victim was on her way to the market on the Ferozepur Road in Faridkot around 2 pm, when Gurjit dragged her into the car and raped her.
The police arrested Gurjit and his wife Khushi on the same day.
Later, Dr Manjit Singh, Gurjit’s brother, filed a compalint claiming it was a false case and the director general of police (DGP) forwarded it to the Punjab Bureau of Investigation director for an independent inquiry.
Manjit now alleges that the police gave a clean chit to SI Pandher in February 2017 after a departmental inquiry.
He added that this clearly shows that the police have been shielding the accused.
HOW THE CASE WAS FRAMED
The PBI report, accessed by Hindustan Times, reveals how Gurjit was booked falsely in the rape case.
The report says that Avtar Singh, husband of Anjali, initially got married to Gurpreet Kaur, sister of Gurjit in 2009.
But later he also had a clandestine marriage with Anjali in 2015.
When Gurpreet came to know about it, she informed her brother Gurjit about the matter. Gurjit initiated legal action in this regard.
Anjali was declared a proclaimed offender (PO) by the Chhajli police station of Sangrur district.
Meanwhile, Anjali and Avtar hatched a conspiracy and got the rape case registered against Gurjit and his wife Khushi.
The report says Anjali told the police that she was raped around 2 pm but she got admitted to the Faridkot civil hospital at 5.15 pm.
She also did not mention her real adderess in the police complaint, but gave a fake address.
The report says Gurjit’s car had a transparent window pane and as the Ferozepur Road is usually crowded and has a lot of trafic, it was impossible to rape someone there.
It also mentions that the “victim” alleged that she was raped around 2 pm near Hemkund Service Station while CCTV footage reveals that Gurjit remained at his shop from the morning till 3 pm on the day of incident.
The report recommended immediate release of Gurjit and Khushi from the judicial custody and registration of a case against SI Gurdeep, ASI Angrej, Anjali and Avtar under Sections of 167 (public servant framing an incorrect document), 470 (forging document), 471 (using as genuine a forged record), 211 (false charge of offence), 193 (false evidence) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
The inquiry against the cops is pending with the crime wing at the Punjab Police headquarters. We will take the necessary action once we receive the report. NANAK SINGH, Faridkot SSP