Five-yr-old's gangrape: Pradeep sent to judicial custody

One of the youths who allegedly gangraped a five-year-old in east Delhi was today remanded in judicial custody till May 9 by a court here after being grilled for four days by the police.

Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Garg remanded 19-year-old Pradeep to judicial custody for 12 days after the police said he was not required for further interrogation.

During the proceedings, the court inquired from the Investigating Officer (IO) about the information gathered from the accused during his four-day custody and what all places he was taken to.

To this, the IO said they have recovered the mobile phone of both Pradeep and main accused Manoj Sah, who is in police custody till April 30, and they have also confronted the duo with each other to know the chain of events.

The police also said both the accused were taken to several places in Delhi including the metro stations where they had gone after committing the crime.

Meanwhile, the police moved an application for recording under section 164 CrPC the statement of a key witness, Abhishek, in whose presence the victim was recovered from the locked room in the building in Gandhinagar.

The court has marked the application to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate concerned.

Under section 164 CrPC, the statement of a witness is recorded by a magistrate and is admissible as evidence during trial.

Both Manoj and Pradeep are accused of gangraping the five-year-old girl on April 15 in the same building in east Delhi where the girl and the accused lived.

After sexually assaulting the girl, Manoj attempted to strangle her. Suspecting that the victim had died, both the accused fled from the spot and boarded a train to reach Chhapra. They then parted ways.

While Manoj headed to his in-laws' house, Pradeep went to his maternal uncle's residence in Lakhisarai.