In a clinching evidence in the Rewari gang-rape case, the Special Investigation Team has in a charge sheet said that the DNA profile of semen stains on the clothes of the teenage victim has matched with that of the three prime accused — Army jawan Pankaj, Manish and Nishu.
The 500-odd page charge sheet was filed before Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate Piyush Sharma at Kanina court this past week. The police have listed 38 witnesses in the case — including the victim, her parents, doctors and police personnel.
The Forensic Science Laboratory report revealed the DNA profile of the semen stains on the underwear, undershirt and vaginal swab of the victim matched with the DNA profile of Pankaj, Manish and Nishu. The report, however, said that DNA profile of the seminal stains did not match with that of quack Sanjeev, tube well room owner Deen Dayal and Naveen, another Army man arrested in the case.
This suggests that the teenage victim was raped only by the three accused. The girl’s family had expressed apprehension that around half-a-dozen people had visited the tube well room and raped her.
Victim abducted
The victim was on her way to a coaching institute on September 12 morning when Pankaj and Manish allegedly abducted her at the Kanina bus stand and took her to a tube well room in their village. Nishu was already present in the room. The three then took turns to allegedly rape her. Eight persons have been arrested in the case. Three of them are out on bail.
Though the victim in her statement had claimed that she was drugged, the examination of her blood and urine samples tested negative for any common drug and ethyl alcohol. Sources privy to the investigation claimed that it could be because of the delay in collecting the samples.
Technical evidence
Besides the matching of DNA profiles, technical evidence in the form of call records, the disclosure statements of the accused and the victim’s statement are an important evidence in the case, said police sources.
Defence counsel Rakesh Lamba, who represents Deen Dayal, picked holes in the police’s theory seeking to know as to why was a call never made to the police control room and the family did not approach the police station that was just 200 metre away from the crime spot.
“It proves that the case was filed as an afterthought,” said Mr. Lamba. He also questioned as to why the police did not find any public witness in the case despite the victim claiming that she was abducted and later abandoned at the local bus stand at rush hours.
‘Eyewitness’
The police sources claimed that an eyewitness was tracked down in the case based on closed-circuit television camera footage and investigation, but he denied having seen anything. The sources, however, said that it would not make much impact on the case.
Mr. Sharma has, meanwhile, committed the case to Narnaul court and the next hearing is scheduled for October 25.