Chandigarh gangrape: Three accused sent to police custody for two days

(From left) Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Garib and Kismat Ali alias Poppu at the district courts in Chandigarh on Wednesday. (Express photo)

THE THREE men, accused of raping a 22-year-old woman at Sector here in Chandigarh, were produced in court on Wednesday on production warrant. The court remanded the accused – Mohammad Irfan (29), Mohammad Garib (21) and Kismat Ali alias Poppu (21) – in two days’ police custody. The three would be produced in court again on December 1.

The prosecution sought two days’ police remand for the accused and the court granted that. The prosecution mentioned that the remand was needed to recreate the crime scene with the three accused and also to find where the accused went after the incident, what was their plan and whether they were involved in any other crime in Chandigarh or elsewhere. The prosecution also said that during the remand, their DNA test would be conducted to prove their allegations in court with substantial proof.

The prosecution had also filed an application stating that the accused should be handcuffed while being produced in court, which was allowed, too. Police had filed an application mentioning that the accused should be in cuffs whenever they were brought to court as the three could have been involved in other criminal cases, too. The application for handcuffing Irfan, Garib and Poppu was moved after one of the accused, Irfan, attempted suicide at Model Burail Jail where he was serving judicial remand. The application was allowed by the court on Wednesday.

The three were arrested by the UT Police for raping the 22-year-old woman at Sector 53 on November 17. The woman, hailing from Dehradun, had taken an autorickshaw after attending her stenography class at Sector 37, when the incident happened. Irfan, the auto driver, allegedly drove her to a secluded forest area in Sector 53, instead of taking her to Mohali where she had been staying as a paying guest and there the trio allegedly raped her.