On February 4, Delhi Police said in a statement that they have arrested a man identified as 35-year-old Vinod for involvement in the murder of an auto-rickshaw driver. As per reports, Vinod was acquitted in the Chhawla gang rape and murder case of 2012. The incident took place in Section 14 of the Dwarka area in the wee hours of January 26. The other accused in the case has been identified as Pawan.
During the interrogation, Vinod told police that on January 26, they boarded 44-year-old Anar Singh’s auto-rickshaw. Upon reaching Dwarka, they tried to rob Singh. When he resisted, they stabbed him in the neck. Singh was a resident of Munirka.
As per the police, when Singh got stabbed, he started screaming and rushed out of the auto for help. The attackers got panicked and fled the scene. The crime was captured on a CCTV camera. DCP added, “In the CCTV footage, they were seen walking towards Ranhola and then returning to the Dwarka area, where they parted their ways. The direction in which Vinod went was not covered by any CCTV camera, so his further movement could not be traced.”
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Dwarka, M Harshawardhan, told news agency ANI that Vinod was recently released from jail after 10 years where he was lodged for his alleged involvement in the Chhawla gang-rape and murder case. He was one of the three men who were acquitted by the Supreme Court in the matter.
The police team raided multiple locations to arrest the accused. They raided Vinod’s aunt’s house but he was not found there. Pawan’s address was revealed by his relatives. He was arrested from his Faridabad house on January 29. Initially, the police were not aware that the second accused was acquitted by the court in the Chhawla gang rape and murder case. His identity was revealed by Pawan during interrogation. DCP said, “Both Vinod and Pawan said that they killed the auto driver for robbing him. Vinod said it was his first crime after the acquittal.”
The Chhawla gang-rape and murder case
On February 9, 2012, a woman was kidnapped from the Chhawla camp. Days later, the police recovered her body in Rewari, Haryana. In autopsy, it was revealed that she was attacked with sharp objects and glass bottles. Police arrested three accused Rahul, Ravi and Vinod in connection to the matter. On February 19, 2014, a Delhi court sentenced them to death. The verdict was upheld by the High Court on August 26, 2014.
Perpetrators inflicted brutalities on the victim
It took the police three days to arrest the perpetrators. All three were residents of the same neighbourhood as the girl and had been released from Tihar Jail just a few days before the incident.
The interrogation of the three accused revealed chilling details of the fate that had befallen the girl. The accused had reportedly mutilated and poured acid into the victim’s eyes, inserted a broken liquor bottle into her vagina and abandoned her in the mustard field in Haryana to die. According to the girl’s autopsy, she had died on February 13, a few hours before her body was recovered. For more than three days, the girl bled to death and the forensics test confirmed rape.
Supreme Court acquitted the accused
The matter reached the Supreme court. On November 7, 2022, the Supreme Court set aside the conviction stating there were faults in the investigation. The court said, “The law does not permit the courts to punish the accused based on moral conviction or suspicion alone. The court has noticed many glaring lapses during the trial. The court is left with no alternative but to acquit the accused, though involved in a very heinous crime.”
Following the verdict, the victim’s father said the family lost the hope in judiciary. he said, “For over 10 years, we fought in the courts hoping that our daughter will get justice. But after the Supreme Court decided to acquit all three accused, we lost our faith in the judiciary. We have also lost the will to live.”