10 acquitted in minor’s abduction, rape case

The sessions court judge Rekha Patel acquitted 10 people in connection with the rape and abduction of a minor girl. Ten people including Jitu Patel, the main accused, were acquitted in the case due to lack of evidence. 

Defence lawyer Sanjay Thakkar said the court acquitted all the ten accused due to lack of evidence. A 16-year-old girl, was abducted and raped on September 14, 2003 by four youths, including son of a police official.

The father of the victim then filed a habeas corpus petition before the Gujarat high court alleging that the accused, including Jeetu Amaliyar son of then police inspector and current ACP VK Amaliyar had abducted and raped his daughter from near the Swaminarayan temple in Maninagar area on the night of September 14, 2003.

He had also lodged an FIR with the Maninagar police. The high court had then directed the Maninagar police to arrest the accused and present the girl before the court on October 10, but it failed to do so.

Following this, the case was transferred to crime branch.
The main accused Jeetu Patel and his brother Rajendra Patel were later arrested after uncle of the prime accused revealed the whereabouts of the girl and the duo.

 The duo was then arrested from a house in Gurukrupa Society on Borisana. The duo had kept the girl with them in the house. The accused had taken the house on rent for evading arrest and were using it as a hideout.