The spot in Murthal where several women were allegedly raped. Gajendra Yadav The spot in Murthal where several women were allegedly raped. Gajendra Yadav

A resident of Narela, Delhi on Sunday lodged a complaint with the Haryana police in Sonepat alleging gangrape by her brothers-in-law and their five accomplices. The crime, according to the complainant, took place on the National Highway-1 near Murthal on the night intervening February 22-23. Based on her complaint, the Sonepat police registered an FIR on charges of gangrape against seven persons, including her two brothers-in-law. No arrests were made yet.

While talking to The Indian Express, Abhishek Garg, Superintendent of Police, Sonepat, said, “A woman approached us today and narrated the incident. She has levelled allegations of rape on certain persons, including two of her brothers-in-law. We have registered a case and investigations are on. So far no body has been arrested since we are verifying the allegations”.

Sources disclosed that the same complainant, in 1999, had first lodged a case against a person in New Delhi and levelled rape allegations. The case went on for trial during which she turned hostile and the accused was acquitted. A few years later, she again filed a case against a person in Delhi and levelled charges of molestation. However, during inquiry, the police found the complaint false and cancelled the case.

Dr. Rajshree Singh, DIG Haryana Police, who is heading the SIT constituted by the Haryana government to go into alleged incidents of rape and molestation of several women during the Jat agitation, said, “The woman had approached us and narrated the incident that took place on the night intervening February 22-23. We have registered a case. Investigations are on.”

“In her complaint, she mentioned that she and her minor daughter were travelling in a bus from Haridwar to New Delhi on the night of February 22-23. She added that when the bus reached Panipat, it developed a snag and they got off. She and her daughter got into a private maxi-van (a passenger vehicle). There were other people also in the van. When they reached near Murthal, the van was stopped by 6-7 youngsters, who broke the windowpanes of the vehicle and pulled her and her daughter out. She added that her brothers-in-law were also among those 6-7 persons. She alleged that they dragged her to nearby fields, where one of them raped her. She added that the accused even molested her daughter. We have registered a case and the investigations are on,” said DSP Surinder Kaur.

Investigating police officials also disclosed that the complainant also has some ongoing property dispute with her in-laws. “Whether her complaint has any relation with that dispute is yet to be ascertained”, a senior Haryana police officer said.

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