'Unnao rape victim's dying declaration strong evidence to nail killers'

Lucknow: The dying declaration of the 23-year-old Unnao rape victim, who was set ablaze last week by five men, including the two accused of raping her earlier, is a "strong evidence" and will be used to nail her killers, Uttar Pradesh police chief O P Singh said on Tuesday.

The police will go in for the prosecution of the five accused in a fast-track court, the Director General of Police said a day after the Utter Pradesh government took a Cabinet decision to set up 218 new fast-track courts — 144 to try rape cases and 74 for sexual offences against children.

"Dying declaration is a very strong evidence, and certainly, it will be used. Before dying, the girl deposed before a sub-divisional magistrate that these five persons attacked her," DGP Singh said.

"When she was taken to Delhi and admitted to the hospital, she also had a chat with doctors. We will try to get the statement of the doctor also in this regard. These will be strong evidence to charge-sheet these five criminals," he added.

Singh also said the police will soon file the charge-sheet in the murder case.

"We will be charge-sheeting them within a few days. We want to fast-track the entire case," said the police chief.

"We are also exploring the possibility of going for the DNA test of the accused," said Singh.

Explaining the rationale behind going in for the DNA test of the accused, the police chief said the victim also had a mobile phone and a purse, which have already been sent for the forensic test to ascertain if those items came in contact with the accused and carry their fingerprints or traces of their sweat or hair etc from which the DNA sample of the accused could possibly be lifted.

"We would then match the DNA samples of the accused to those found on the victim's items," said Singh.

"We also have several strong pieces of circumstantial evidence in the case," said the DGP.

In her statement to Sub Divisional Magistrate Dayashankar Pathak, the woman had said she was attacked when she reached Gaura turn near her home on her way to the court to attend hearing in her rape case.

She had specifically named Harishankar Trivedi, Ram Kishore Trivedi, Umesh Bajpai, Shivam Trivedi and Shubham Trivedi as the persons who set her on fire.