Gang-rape claim 'fabricated'; conspiracy hatched over property dispute: Ghaziabad police
Ghaziabad (PTI): The police on Thursday dismissed as "fabricated" a Delhi woman's claim that she had been gang-raped and brutalized by five men here.
Police claimed that the entire "conspiracy" was hatched over a property dispute. Three associates of the woman have been arrested, police said, adding that they have been identified as Azad, Afzal and Gaurav.
The police had on Wednesday said four people had been taken into custody in connection with the case. Asked if a clean chit will be given to the four of them, Inspector General, Meerut, Praveen Kumar told reporters, "We have not got any evidence against them...Prima facie, in this case, no such incident has taken place. So, there is no question of getting evidence."
Asked whether the woman was kidnapped or illegally confined, the officer said," No. She had gone to a designated place at her own will. Chats analysed by us also show that money was also paid to individuals to publicise the case", he said.
The woman had claimed that she was raped by five men for two days. Following the incident, the Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal also claimed that the 36-year-old woman was found wrapped in a jute bag, with her hands and legs tied, and an iron rod was inserted in her private parts.
Maliwal had said the incident reminded her of the Nirbhaya case. She was referring to the brutal gang-rape and assault of a 23-year-old paramedic student on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012 inside a moving bus in south Delhi by six people before being thrown out on the road.
The DCW has also issued a notice to Ghaziabad police in connection with the case. The senior officer said during investigation, it was found that Azad's phone was switched off around the time the woman purportedly disappeared.
Azad is the main conspirator, the vehicle used belonged to Gaurav and the help of the woman's associate Afzal was also taken, police said. In her statement to the police earlier, the woman had said she had been to Ghaziabad to celebrate her brother's birthday, a day before the incident.
Police had earlier said that the victim's brother dropped her back and some people, who were known to her, picked her up from there. The woman had earlier alleged that she was forced to get into the car at gunpoint.
The senior police officer said the dispute was about a small property. "A woman named Sameena gave the property to Azad in 2021 who in turn gave its power of attorney to a man named Deepak Joshi. There was talk about giving this property to the Delhi woman. The case regarding this was going on in the court, the officer said.
Authorities at the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital had on Wednesday said the woman's condition is stable and no internal injury has been found yet.
Nipun Agarwal, Superintendent of Police (City-I) Ghaziabad, on Wednesday had said the victim claimed that after raping her, the accused had inserted an iron rod in her private part but when the police tried to get her medically examined at a Meerut hospital, she refused.
"Doctors then referred her to the Meerut Medical college for treatment but she refused to go there as well. The woman was then taken to a Delhi hospital," the SP had said.
The allegations of gang rape and insertion of rod in her private part by a Delhi woman in Ghaziabad turned out to be false. Woman had concocted the story to trap the persons with whom she was having property dispute: IG Meerut Range, Praveen Kumar @TheNewIndian_in pic.twitter.com/VXG3QPwktl
— Alok Arjun Singh (@AlokReporter) October 20, 2022
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Allu Arjun didn't leave theatre despite being told about woman's death: Hyderabad police
Hyderabad, Dec 22: Top Telugu actor Allu Arjun did not leave the theatre during the screening of 'Pushpa-2' on December 4 despite being told to do so in view of a stampede in which a woman died, police officials claimed on on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference on the annual round-up of 2024, city police commissioner C V Anand showed a video, made by police, on the situation that prevailed when the stampede occurred.
The video was made by collating footage, including from news channels and cell phone clips. It suggests the actor remained in the theatre till the midnight.
Anand did not make any comment on the video, but said the media can draw its own conclusions.
A police official talked about the sequence of events on the fateful night of December 4.
He said that he and other police officials informed a manager of Allu Arjun about the death of the woman and told him that the situation was out of control. He indicated that they were not allowed to meet the actor.
Allu Arjun's staff members told them that they would convey the matter to the actor but did not do so, he said.
The official said he later managed to reach the actor, told him about the woman's death and asked him to leave the theatre so that the fans don't harm each other while trying to catch a glimpse of him.
The official also told the actor that security arrangements would be made for his exit.
However, the actor said he would go only after watching the film, the police official said.
Later, accompanied by a senior officer, the official went inside and brought the actor out, he said.
Amid allegations that bouncers hired by Allu Arjun pushed crowds as well as policemen when the stampede occurred at the cinema hall, the police commissioner warned that stringent action as per law would be taken if THE bouncers indeed misbehaved with the police on duty.
The VIPs would be made responsible for the behaviour of the bouncers hired by them, he said.
Asked if the police would appeal against the interim bail granted to Allu Arjun, the commissioner refused to give a direct response, just saying it is part of the investigation.
What course of action is taken would be known in the days to come, he said.
He also declined to comment when asked if the family of the deceased told him about Allu Arjun's team or film production team allegedly threatening them not to speak on the issue.
Meanwhile, state Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy found fault with Allu Arjun responding on Saturday to the debate in the Legislative Assembly.
The minister, who observed that the actor should have respect for the government and the chief minister, demanded an apology from Allu Arjun to the government and the CM.
"This government is never vindictive. As Cinematography Minister, we allowed benefit shows and hiking ticket prices to promote the film industry," he said.
However, Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar found fault with CM Revanth Reddy for his comments on Allu Arjun in the Assembly on Saturday.
The comments of the CM sounded like character assassination of Allu Arjun and hurting the Telugu film industry, he alleged in a statement.
Later in the day, Sanjay Kumar visited a boy who is undergoing treatment in a hospital after being injured in the stampede.
"Consoled his father over the heartbreaking loss of his wife, Revathi. I pray to god that Sritej recovers at the earliest. Assured support to the family in this difficult time," Kumar said on X.
Earlier in the day, state DGP Jitender told reporters in Karimnagar district that film personalities and all others should understand that safety and security of citizens is utmost important, and also conduct themselves accordingly.
