Police are also probing the role of a journalist in connection with the case, with officers saying she was allegedly paid Rs 5,000 to spread “exaggerated news of the rape”. (Representational/File)With the woman who allegedly fabricated allegations of being gangraped and assaulted by five men being discharged from the hospital, Ghaziabad Police arrested her Saturday evening. She has been charged under several IPC sections, including cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy as well as provisions of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act.
Police are also probing the role of a journalist in connection with the case, with officers saying she was allegedly paid Rs 5,000 to spread “exaggerated news of the rape”. CO (Sihani Gate) Alok Dubey said, “The woman has been arrested in connection with the case after being discharged from GTB Hospital today. Earlier, she was under medical observation. The journalist in this case is currently absconding.”
Police have also arrested three men detained earlier, Azad, Gaurav and Afzal, for allegedly “conspiring” to falsify a case to try and resolve a property dispute. Police say they have recovered evidence of payments made via Paytm from Azad, allegedly to the woman journalist, to spread misinformation.
In the aftermath of the FIR, the woman’s brother had claimed she had been abducted on her way back to Delhi after attending his birthday on October 16, raped by five men, and found in Ghaziabad in the early hours of October 18. However, the police probe found several discrepancies, and eventually concluded the case had been falsified to try and resolve a Rs 53 lakh property dispute.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Commission for Women sent a letter to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, urging an investigation into the matter and calling for strict action against the woman if she is found guilty. The commission, led by its chief Swati Maliwal, had earlier issued a showcause notice to Ghaziabad police.
On October 19, Maliwal had said the woman had been violated with an iron rod and was fighting for her life. “This case is just like the Nirbhaya case… at least in this case, my appeal is (it) should be fast tracked and these men given severe punishment,” she had said.
Sources at GTB Hospital, where the woman was then taken, had said she sustained no internal injuries, though she had some bruises, and that a 5-6 cm foreign object removed from inside her had been sent for analysis. Investigators have not divulged more details on this.
On Saturday, Maliwal wrote in the letter to the UP CM: “This is very serious, shocking… I urge your honourable self to kindly set up a high-level committee to investigate the case in depth… It must be examined as to who inflicted injuries on the woman… In case it is proved beyond doubt the girl was actively involved in hatching a conspiracy… I would urge you to ensure strong action is taken against her.”