Gangrape accused, on the run since 1995, arrested

MUZAFFARNAGAR police have arrested a 52-year-old gangrape accused, who was absconding since 1995. Police said Zaheer Hasan, who was arrested for gangrape in 1989, had jumped bail in 1995 and since then he was absconding.

According to police, they had received information that Hasan had come to Muzaffarnagar and would be visiting the gangrape victim’s house on Friday to meet her family members. “When Hasan was a few kilometres from the victim’s house, police arrested him and his identity was established by residents. During questioning, Hasan told the police that after jumping bail fled Muzaffarnagar and regularly changed his location,” said Station House Officer (Mansoorpur) KK Singh.

The police, later, produced Hasan before a local court, which sent him to judicial custody. Hasan, a native of Ghaziabad, was staying in Muzaffarnagar’s Mansoorpur area with his family in 1989.

According to the SHO, a farmer had lodged a case against five persons, including Hasan, for allegedly abducting and raping his daughter in February 1989. Police arrested all the five accused and recovered the girl. Later, Hasan was released on bail.

“In 1995, the court fixed the date for the judgment in the gangrape. Except Hasan, the other four accused appeared before the court. The court sentenced two persons to 10 years imprisonment, while the other two accused were acquitted for lack of evidence,” said Singh. The court issued a warrant against Hasan as he did not appear before the court on the day of judgment.

“When Hasan remained absconding, the court ordered to attach his property. Since there was no information about his property, so his property was never attached,” added the SHO.