Cox Town rape case - Inspector taken into custody, bailed out

Mangalore Today News Network

Bangalore, July 19, 2014:  Police inspector Mohammad Rafique of Pulikeshinagar police was arrested on July 18  under newly added Section 166 (a) of IPC. Allegedly the officer did not include Section 376 (rape) in the FIR registered in the case of rape of a 21-year-old PG student in Cox Town. Since the offence was bailable, the inspector was released after an interrogation and recording of statement.

Sources said the inspector had visited the police station in the morning after he was summoned for an inquiry. “ACP Ulsoor sub-division Manjunath arrested inspector Rafique and interrogated him for more than two hours. He was later let off on a station bail,” DCP (East) Satish Kumar said.

According to normal sources, Insp. Rafique told police that he was not aware about the amendment to the IPC sections after the Nirbhaya case. The inspector has reportedly said that he has not committed any mistake but was not aware of the amendments made to the Indian Penal Code. The inspector did not book a case of rape and booked a case for attempting to outrage the modesty of a woman. Rafique also told the police that the victim refused a medical examination and this delayed the registration of the case.

However, a senior police officer said despite the victim specifically stating in her complaint that she was raped, the inspector did not register the FIR with appropriate sections. The dereliction has been proved in the investigation so far, he added.

The police have released the two accused, Mohammed Ali and Waseem Khan, on bail as the complainant failed to identify them. “However, we have instructed them to appear for investigation whenever we call them.

It seems the main accused Nasir Hyder has been misleading the investigating officer by dropping names. They were let off after the complainant told the Investigation Officer that it was the first time she was seeing them,” the official said.  The police had launched a manhunt for four others who assisted Hyder in abduction and rape of the victim.

The police are also using scientific methods to track down Hyder’s accomplices present during the crime and a breakthrough is expected soon.