Haryana rape: Reward money raised to Rs 5 lakh

Rohtak: Haryana police on Monday raised the cash reward to Rs five lakh from Rs one lakh declared earlier for information leading to the arrest of accused involved in rape-cum-murder of a mentally challenged woman from Nepal here with the state police head claiming that the SIT had got ‘certain leads’ in the case.

DGP Y P Singhal along with other senior officers of police visited the spot on Monday and made the announcement of raising the amount of reward money for the person providing information to police.

"We have been able to get certain leads in the case," he said while asserting that these could not be divulged to media.

"Our senior police officers and SIT is working on the leads, the SIT is trying its very best to crack the case it will be solved very soon," he said.

Haryana ADGP Law and Order Mohammed Akil had on Sunday visited the crime spot and held confabulations with the members of the SIT and other senior police officers. He said police had got "vital clues" in the case and the culprits will soon be arrested.

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 victim 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 and 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.

On the issue of alleged police inactivity in the case, the DGP said they swung into action the moment 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," he said.

Meanwhile, activists of different social organisations, including Nepali, met the Deputy Commissioner here seeking justice for the family members of victim.

The activists also took to streets to lodge their protest. Meanwhile in a related development, Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader in assembly, Kiran Choudhary, along with her flock met state governor Kaptan Singh Solanki in Chandigarh over the issue.

The Congress delegation apprised the governor about "lawlessness" in the state.

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. Meanwhile, AICC spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala today strongly condemned the incident.

Read: Woman raped, blades found in body

"Entire society and nation is deeply shamed by horrific and gruesome rape and murder of a mentally challenged Nepalese girl in Rohtak. Beastly manner, in which body parts of the victim were severed, stones and other foreign objects were found by doctors from private parts, reflects extreme perversion reminding us of Delhi Nirbhaya Case," he said.

"Five days after the incident, Haryana police is clueless and BJP government is yet to wake up from its slumber," he said attacking the Manohar Lal Khattar dispensation in the state.

Surjewala alleged while Haryana BJP Government spends lakhs of rupees on 'Beti Bachao Yojna', the chief minister and his ministers have not found time to even visit the victim's family, he said.

Congress demanded Khattar should take note of this "reprehensible attack on soul of humanity and provide necessary financial and emotional support to family of the victim".

"BJP Government must immediately reconstitute an SIT under the charge of an officer of Inspector General of Police rank or above as also ensure immediate arrest of accused, who are a threat to the society at large. Government must also ensure speedy trial of accused through a special court and exemplary punishment to them," he said.

However, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Surajkund termed the incident as "blind murder" and assured that the culprits will be arrested soon. He said seven teams of police are working on the case.

"Soon the culprits will be arrested," he said adding that police teams working on the case were doing their job.

"There is no laid back approach by police in the case," he said.