ACCUSED CONFESS OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING 7 MORE WOMEN IN THE AREA OVER PAST 2 YEARS

LUDHIANA : In a shocking reality check, last week’s gangrape was by no means an isolated case. During interrogation, the six accused, who are part of a gang, have confessed that they had been ‘active’ in the area around the Issewal Bridge for two years. A vacant plot in Issewal village is the scene of the heinous crime.

“During this time, they confessed to have sexually assaulted seven women commuters and carried out over 100 snatchings at the stretch, which was isolated after dark. However, no victim had reported the matter to the police,” a source in the interrogation team told HT. He added that the accused were not drug addicts, but had taken to crime for easy money, which they splurged on shopping.

“They were in contact with each other on mobile phones and used to assemble there often,” the source added. DIG Ranbir Singh Khatra said interrogation was on and he would be able to say anything only after investigation.

The Issewal village, around 18km from district headquarters, has been adopted by Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu under the Centre’s Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. “I have adopted the village for development and that too upon insistence from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. No resident of the village is involved in the crime,” he told HT over phone.

There has been persistent confusion over the number of accused in the case, with DGP Dinkar Gupta having to issue a clarification in the press conference. DIG Khatra had initially said that the girl had said that 8-9 men had overpowered her and her friend. When the case was first reported, the number of accused was said to be 11-12.

To the victim telling the national women commission team that visited her on Wednesday that the police had not recorded her statement properly, DGP Gupta said, “The victim will be taken to the court for recording her statement under section 164 of the CRPC.”