GAYA: The gang-rape case which sparked wide criticism has taken a new twist with police indicating involvement of the
Paswan gang of dacoits in the heinous crime.
Earlier, police officers involved in the investigation had said on record that some wayward youth of Sondiha village had sexually assaulted a teenage girl and her mother at gun point near Sondiah village of
Konch police station area.
Two Sondiha youths-- Gaurav Sharma and Shivam Sharma--were identified by the rape survivors and two others, who were earlier robbed at the same place. The identification was done through a parade in which 20 suspects were presented before the victims.
As per the findings of the SIT investigating the case, the crime was committed by the Paswan gang of robbers and not Sondiha youth.
Asked whether Gaurav and Shivam, currently languishing in
Gaya Central jail, too were members of Paswan gang, SSP Rajiv Mishra said no evidence of the duo being a member of the said gang has surfaced. The new findings have changed the case narrative and there is also no clarity about the number of criminals involved.
Going by the details given by the SSP, the robbers’ gang had planned to commit dacoity somewhere else and as they assembled at the point of convergence somewhat earlier, they started random road robbery and the rape survivors too were first relieved of their belongings.
According to zonal IG Naiyyer Hsanain Khan, he has directed the investigating team to collect enough scientific evidence to ensure justice in the case.
Representative image