KANPUR: An army officer accused of raping Russian wife of his friend was arrested late on Tuesday evening. He allegedly committed the crime on December 10 and was on the run since then. A local court on Wednesday rejected his bail plea and sent him to jail under 14-day judicial remand.
Col Neeraj Gehlot allegedly raped his friend’s Russian wife after sedating him at the Officers’ Mess of Central Ordnance Depot in Cantonment area. “Col Gehlot has been on the run since the incident. He was arrested from Officers’ Mess on Tuesday evening,” said superintendent of police (East) Raj Kumar Agarwal.
“Police had been constantly searching for him and his mobile location was traced in the vicinity of the Officers’ Mess on Monday evening, but he had been evading arrest. Earlier, we also raided his room, but it was found to be locked,” he added.
An FIR in this regard was filed at the Cantonement police station on December 12 in which the colonel posted at COD was accused of raping his friend’s Russian’s wife. “The Colonel had invited his Lucknow-based friend to the Officer’s Mess for dinner and made him unconscious by giving him drink mixed with sedatives. Later, he dragged his Russian wife to another room where he raped her after assaulting her severely,” said police further.
He was produced before metropolitan magistrate Jyotsana Singh on Wednesday. She rejected his bail application observing that serious charges of physical exploitation had been levelled against the accused. "Prima facie, there was no ground for bail," she said.
The accused in his bail application had submitted that he was innocent and had not committed any crime and the case against him was fabricated. Therefore, he should be granted bail.
The woman’s husband had told the police that Col Gehlot was an old friend and he had invited him and his Russian wife for dinner. He had agreed and on December 10 reached Kanpur from Lucknow. After day’s shopping when they visited the accused, he offered him a drink laced with sedatives. Soon after consuming it, he was knocked out of his senses.
Later, his friend had dragged his wife to another room and tried to force himself on her. She had pushed him away and shouted, but the accused had brutally assaulted her. It was when she lost her consciousness, he had raped her. Later, the survivor’s husband had accompanied her to the Cantonment police station to file a complaint on December 12.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)