Chandigarh: The Army man, accused of raping a 19-year-old student in Haryana along with others, has been arrested, the police said. Another person who was allegedly involved in the gang-rape has also been arrested from Satnali in Mahendragarh district.
Haryana police chief BS Sandhu said with the arrest of Pankaj Fauzi, an Army man who was posted in Rajasthan’s Kota, and Manish, all the accused in the case have now been arrested, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Earlier, Nishu, who reportedly masterminded the kidnap and gang-rape of the woman, a doctor and the owner of the accommodation where the incident took place were arrested.
“Five people were present at the crime scene. All of them have been arrested. We had captured the mastermind in 30 hours. We have done a thorough investigation,” Nazneen Bhasin, who headed the special investigation team (SIT) in the case, said.
The incident in the BJP-ruled state had triggered nationwide outrage. The opposition parties demanded Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s resignation for failing to ensure safety of women in the state.
The woman was allegedly picked up by three men from a bus stop on September 12 while she was on her way to a coaching class, the police said. She was allegedly drugged, driven several kilometres to the fields where the accused took turns to rape her.
Amid allegations by her family that the police failed to take timely action, Khattar had assured strict action against the guilty. A cheque for Rs. 2 lakh by the Khattar government was also returned. “We want justice, we want punishment for the rapists,” said the student’s mother.
