Eight persons were arrested Wednesday for allegedly holding the Jewar gang-rape victims’ family hostage and pressuring them to withdraw their complaint or turn hostile in court.

The arrested men, police said, are associated with the Bawariya gang members who had allegedly gang-raped three women and killed a man in May 2017, Jewar police said.

The arrested men were identified as Ranveer and Rakesh, residents of Baghpat; and Arjun, Usman, Farukh, Hasrat, Shahid and Asir, all residents of Meerut.

The deceased person’s brother-in-law said the suspects visited his house around 6pm Tuesday when he was not at home. “They were not known to us. They barged into our house and started asking for the male members of the family. When we reached there, they told us that Monu Bawaria (an accused in the gang-rape and murder case) is innocent and has been framed by the police. They asked us to turn hostile in the court and not identify him,” he said.

On July 2, the Noida special task force had arrested 22-year-old Monu, of Alwar, Rajasthan. He is one of five men who had allegedly gang-raped the three women and killed a man on May 25, 2017 in Sabota village. Monu’s father Jai Singh and his cousin Deepak, and two others, Raju and Rakesh, are currently in jail in connection with the case.

The victims’ family said the suspects had brought along some men from their village in an effort them to convince them. “When we did not agree to their demands, they asked us to accompany them to the police station. But we refused to do so. I secretly called senior police officials and informed them of the matter,” he said. However, the suspects fled in a Mahindra Bolero by the time the police arrived.

The brother-in-law said he had noted the Bolero’s registration number. “On Wednesday afternoon, I again spotted the suspects in the SUV in Jewar. I informed the police and a team reached the spot and arrested them,” he said.

Surendra Singh Bhati, station house officer, Jewar police station, said all eight suspects were arrested. “We have registered a case against them under sections 452 (illegal trespass), 504 (criminal intimidation) and 147 (rioting) of the Indian Penal Code. “They were pressuring the victims’ to turn hostile. They were produced before the court and sent to judicial custody,” he said.

The victims’ family members have now planned to install CCTV cameras on the premises for their safety. “We also demand that the police and the administration take steps to ensure our safety,” a nephew of the deceased man said.

First Published: Jul 25, 2019 21:07 IST