Accused would have killed me as well: Carpenter

Ram Adhar, the carpenter who was robbed by the accused involved in the Dec 16, 2012 gang-rape, Thursday told a Delhi court that he would have been dead had he not been thrown out of their moving bus.

During his deposition as a prosecution witness in a separate robbery case filed against the accused, Adhar told Additional Sessions Judge Daya Prakash: "If I was not thrown...I would have been killed by the accused."

The carpenter had boarded the private bus of the accused in south Delhi minutes before they brutalised a physiotherapy intern in the moving vehicle.

The court was hearing a case of robbing and wrongfully confining Adhar filed against the four accused.

According to police, on Dec 16, 2012, Adhar was lured into the bus and robbed by the accused. They later gang-raped the woman.

The court July 15 framed charges against the accused for offences punishable under Indian Penal Code sections 342 (wrongfully confining any person), 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing or attempting to commit robbery), 412 (dishonestly receiving stolen property knowing that it was obtained by dacoity) and 34 (common intention).

Adhar had earlier identified the four accused -- Mukesh, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Akshay Singh Thakur -- in the court and said they had beaten and robbed him.

Another fast track court has already convicted the four men for the gang rape and murder of the woman and the sentence would be delivered Friday.

Earlier, Adhar told the court that he had identified the bus in which the incident had occurred by its physical appearance and registration number.

Ram Singh, one of the accused had allegedly committed suicide in his cell in Tihar Jail March 11 and proceedings against him were abated following his death.

A juvenile, who was also involved in crimes committed Dec 16, 2012, was awarded a three year stay in a reform home by the Juvenile Justice Board.