Rape that never was: Twist in Ghatkesar case

The auto driver almost went to jail with his friends, branded as rapists, because he allegedly had an argument with her a few days ago over payment after she travelled in his vehicle

Hyderabad: Four young auto-rickshaw drivers walked out free men from the Keesara Police Station on Saturday, after their lives hung in balance for two days following accusations by a 19-year-old girl that they kidnapped and gang-raped her, with many even drawing comparisons with the November 2019 Shadnagar gang-rape and murder case.

The men were able to walk free, thanks to the quick, thorough investigation aided by technical evidence from the Rachakonda Police, who said the girl allegedly cooked up the shocking episode of being kidnapped, gang-raped and almost being killed. All the drama was because she reportedly had an argument with her family and wanted to leave home. The auto driver almost went to jail with his friends, branded as rapists, because he allegedly had an argument with her a few days ago over payment after she travelled in his vehicle.

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According to Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat, thorough investigation and technical evidence proved the alleged offence never occurred. “Hence the case has been proved false,” Bhagwat said here on Saturday.

The entire episode began late night on Wednesday, when based on a complaint from the girl’s mother, the Keesara police booked a kidnap case. On Thursday, based on the girl’s statement, sections pertaining to rape and assault too were added. However, as the investigation progressed and with more evidence, including CCTV footage, collected, police began noticing discrepancies in the girl’s statement.

“We talked to her again and she confessed that due to family issues, she wanted to leave home. Later, due to the police involvement, she panicked and cooked up a story. On enquiring with her close friends, we learned she was fascinated with kidnap stories and often talked about it,” Bhagwat said.

Investigation and evidence showed her getting down from accused driver’s auto at Yamnampet, from where she walked for four kilometres and again boarded an auto and got down at Annojiguda in Ghatkesar and walked again.

All this time, police teams were searching for her, thinking she was in the kidnapper’s vehicle. With the help of mobile tower locations, they managed to trace her approximate location and called her, after which she was made to share her live location, thus helping the police reach her.

Police said the girl was by then making up her own version of the kidnap, rape and murder attempt, during which she named the auto driver since she had a grudge against him. Since it was in his auto that she had first got into, police had traced him and detained him. However, with her statements triggering doubts, nearly 100 policemen were put on the job over the next two days to gather more evidence.

“We collected footage from about 100 surveillance cameras. Call data records of the girl and the suspects were collected and verified,” Bhagwat said.

Meanwhile, sources said police might book the girl for her false statements. Usually, lodging a false First Information Report or complaint is punishable under the Indian Penal Code. Such an informant or the complainant can be proceeded against under Section 182 IPC or under Section 211 IPC.

“For now, we are filing a closure report before court with the scientific evidence we collected. After that, there is a possibility that a case be registered against her for the fake complaint and misleading the police,” an investigation official said.

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