US woman gang-rape: Four out of five arrested; DCW slams cops for not following court orders

The Delhi Police arrested the four men accused by the US woman who was gang-raped during her stay in a five star hotel in Delhi in April this year. The arrest took place twenty three days after the Delhi Police registered an FIR in US national gang-rape case.

Breifing the media about the arrest, Joint CP South-western range, Deepender Pathak said: “We have arrested four accused in the US national gang-rape case. The tour guide, the tourist bus driver and helper and one hotel staff. The fifth is yet to be identified.”

The US woman has alleged that she was drugged and gang-raped by the tourist guide and four others in a five star hotel during her stay in Delhi in April this year.

The cops did not disclose from where the four accused have been arrested but sources say that the cops were keeping a close eye on all of them ever since the matter came to light. The cops have also heard their version earlier. The arrest came after the victim travelled to India to identify the accused and help the investigators in the case.

“We requested the victim to come to India and help in investigation. We are thankful that she came to Delhi, recorded her statement and helped us clear some links that were a part of the investigation after which the accused were nabbed. We will take remand of the accused for proper investigation,” he added.

Sources say the cops also took the help of a medical team of psychiatrists in the case. The woman filed a complaint after she went to the US through an NGO and later when the Delhi Police contacted her, she filed a complain through an email. The cops registered a case on December 3 after they received a complaint from the US national.

The woman recorded her statement on December 20 under Section 164 CrPc before a magistrate narrating the horrific experience.

Meanwhile, Swati Maliwal, the DCW chairperson showed dissatisfaction over the police procedure and has issued notice to the Delhi Police demanding why the Rape Crisis Cell of the Commission was not informed when police recorded the statement of the US national who was allegedly gang-raped in a five-star hotel earlier this year.

Swati Malilal said: “Such instances defame India; decreasing the confidence of women in police. Police should have obeyed the directions of the Honb’le High Court and should have called a DCW councellor.”