The prosecution on Monday examined three important witnesses in the July 31 Shakti Mills gang-rape case, where a 19-year-old telephone operator was allegedly violated by four men and a minor. The three were first examined by the prosecution and then cross-examined by the defence before the special court of judge Shalini Phansalkar Joshi.
The prosecution held that the three witnesses—a special executive officer (SEO) and two cops from the Bhandup police station—supported their case.
According to the defence counsel, one of the two policemen was on duty on August 1 when the family members of the rape victim had approached the police station to file a missing complaint about the girl.
A court official on the condition of anonymity said, “When one of the defence lawyers was cross-examining the police officer (who was on duty, when the missing complaint was registered), it came on record that the police did not initiate any investigation till the victim’s mother came to the police station on August 10 and informed the cops about the her phone call. When the defence questioned the witness if they had submitted to the crime branch or the NM Joshi Marg police station the evidence to show that they had approached the victim’s office and recorded her statement, he replied in the negative.”
The next question raised by the defence was that if the witness had submitted to the investigating agency the CDR record of the victim’s phone. To this also, he replied in the negative.
Speaking to dna, a defence advocate claimed: “The questions raised by the defence clearly showed that in the initial stage of investigation into the July 31 gang-rape case, the police were very careless.”
Crime on the mill premises
July 31: A 19 year old telephone operator on her way to Mahalaxmi station with a friend is raped by five men. Her friend is assaulted and the girl is raped
August 22: A 22-year-old photojournalist on an assignment with a male colleague at Shakti mills is raped by five men.
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