Rohtak: Eight people on Monday were arrested in the case of rape and murder of a mentally challenged Nepalese woman here while one more accused in the case that has caused outrage and revulsion across the country allegedly committed suicide.
Haryana police, which was under attack over its handling of the incident, while announcing the arrests claimed that the case has been "cracked".
DGP Yashpal Singhal, who visited the crime spot, told that the arrested accused are in their twenties and appear to be criminals.
"The case has been cracked and eight youths out of total nine have been arrested from Gaddikhera village, some 9 km from Rohtak," he said, adding that a Nepalese identified as Santosh was among them.
Other accused arrested in the case were identified as Rajesh alias Ghuchadu, Sunil alias Sheela, Sarvar alias Billu, Manbir, Sunil alias Madha, Pawan, Parmod alias Padam, he said.
Rohtak Superintendent of Police Shashank Anand said the ninth accused Sheelkaraam allegedly committed suicide by consuming poisonous tablets at Bavana falling in NCR region on Rohtak-Delhi border. Police was hot on his trail.
"All the accused had confessed to their involvement in crime," Singhal claimed.
On the issue of alleged police apathy, the DGP said they swung into action the moment the complaint was lodged and a DSP rank officer is himself working on it.
"If, however, any lapse on the part of police officials is found, action will be taken as per law against them," the DGP said.
Talking to reporters in Surajkund, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said, "though it took police nine days to round up the accused, yet it was a major achievement as it was a blind case. The police acted promptly into the incident."
"All efforts were being made to arrest the remaining accused and there is no laxity on part of the police to solve this case," he added.
The crime has left the city shocked given the brutality of the crime. Yesterday, protesters gathered in Mansarovar Park here with burning candles as mark of protest and demanded justice for the family of the deceased at the earliest.
They also staged a dharna on the road in front of Bapu park in the city.
A 28-year-old mentally-challenged woman from Nepal was brutally raped and murdered and her body dumped in a field at a village on the Rohtak-Hisar highway here.
The deceased had been residing with her sister for the past three months and was undergoing treatment at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) here.
The victim's sister had lodged a complaint with police on February 1 and on February 4, the woman's body was recovered from the fields in Akbarpur village with several injury marks on it, Rohtak Superintendent of Police Shashank Anand had said.
Haryana ADGP Law and Order Mohammed Akil said that the woman went out of her house alone and fell into the wrong hands who committed the brutal crime.
Haryana police had announced a cash reward of Rs one lakh for information leading to the arrest of accused, officials had said.
The post mortem report of the woman mentioned several injuries on her private parts, doctors of PGIMS said, adding that stones and blades were also found in her body.
"The heinous crime has earned Haryana the infamy of Nirbhaya-type incident involving a helpless and mentally challenged woman and sent shockwaves across the state," she said.
With agency inputs
