Police to press murder charge against 4, appeal for hearing in fast-track court

LUCKNOW: Police have decided to press charges of murder against the four persons accused of setting a 21-year-old woman on fire after a failed rape attempt.

The woman who was found abandoned near a highway in Shahjahanpur on February 22, succumbed to her burn injuries at a hospital in Lucknow on Tuesday.

“Considering that the act (of setting her afire) led to the victim’s death, we have decided to add section 302 (murder) of IPC against the four accused in the case,” the police superintendent, Shahjahanpur S Anand said.

Currently the accused were booked under sections 376D (gang rape), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 511 (attempt to commit offence) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of IPC, based on the initial complaint lodged by the father of the victim, he said.

“Her body has been sent for post-mortem examination. Investigation regarding the case is still on,” the SP said.

“I have also directed the investigation officer in the case to file chargesheet in the matter at the earliest so that we could appeal for hearing of the matter in the fast track court as wished by the family of the victim,” added the officer. The incident occurred on February 22 when the victim was found in a semi burnt state near a highway at around 6 pm. According to police, her father had dropped her to the college that day at 11 am.

Four days after the incident police arrested four people, including a woman. The accused were identified as Manish Lal, Raju Lal, Subhash Chandra and Pinki Singh, all being senior students of the same college where the victim studied.

Police claimed that the three male accused had doused the victim with petrol and set her afire after a failed rape attempt.

The arrest was made on the basis of dying declaration made by the victim before a magistrate at the hospital.

Police said the 21-year-old woman was friends with Pinki, who introduced her to other accused. “On the day of the incident Pinki asked the woman to meet her near a spot outside the college. When she reached there and found the three accused waiting for her. They attempted to rape her and when she resisted, they then attempted to immolate her. The girl ran from the spot towards the nearby road where she was rescued by locals,” according to police.