Andhra Pradesh

Vizianagaram

YSR Congress Party

Nellimerla

Pala Raju

Hyderabad: At a time when the nation is worried about atrocities on women, a rape complaint by a 21-year old physically-challenged woman in’sdistrict has kept the cops on their toes for three days. However, the detailed investigation by the police discovered that the allegations were ‘false’.In the meantime, the issue became political with the oppositioncriticising the government comparing the ‘incident’ to that of Kathua.Finally, the woman confessed to the police that she had come up with the rape story to escape being pulled up by her parents for going home late.A 21-year old woman complained to her parents on Sunday night that she was violated by an auto driver, with the help of his two friends, when she was returning home from her relatives’ place.The parents took her to hospital and lodged a complaint with thepolice immediately. In her statement to the police, she said she had taken an auto after killing an hour waiting for a pick up by a relative. There were already two men in the auto. The driver zipped past her alighting point and the two men shut her mouth and restricted her movement. They took her to an isolated place where the driver had violated her. A biker passing by had responded to her cry for help and also dropped her home.The police registered a case of rape and atrocity on an SC woman. They quickly formed six teams to nab the culprits. Technical teams were entrusted with the job of collecting CCTV footage and other technical evidences to equip the teams to probe. A woman magistrate recorded the victim’s statement around 1.30 am (the same night). The victim did not mention about the rape in her declaration to the magistrate.“The declaration to the magistrate made us grow suspicious about the complaint of rape”, Vizianagaram district superintendent of police Gtold Mirror.“She made several contradictory statements and claims. Basically, the rape spot indicated by her is a place where autos cannot go. Secondly, she said the miscreants had taken away her mobile phone. But, the mobile signal tracker showed her phone at her home. Our men collected it. The CCTV footage collected from the route mentioned had no clues to offer to us. Then, we confronted her with the facts”, the SP narrated. The woman confessed that she had lied to escape being pulled up by parents for going home late.“We have seen the case from the social aspect where girls and women, unlike men, face questions if they are late to home. This woman might not have come up with a false story had she had the freedom and flexibility,” Pala Raju said.The police also decided against initiating any legal action on her for filing a false complaint. “It might deter real victims from complaining”, the police officer said.The police will submit her statement to the court and seek dropping of the case.