'SHO tried to bribe five-year-old rape victim's kin'

New Delhi, April 28 (IANS) A vigilance report has confirmed that an area police station chief had tried to bribe the family of a five-year-old rape victim with Rs.2,000 to hush up the incident, a police source said Sunday.

The vigilance report given to Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar Saturday hinted at several alleged lapses on the part of Gandhi Nagar police station chief Dharampal Singh, the source told IANS.

The father of the raped child had last week alleged that the station house officer (SHO) of Gandhi Nagar in east Delhi had offered him Rs.2,000 for not registering a first information report.

"The action against the SHO will be decided after a departmental inquiry, which has begun," said Deputy commissioner of Police Prabhakar.

While the raped child was under treatment at east Delhi's Swami Dayanand Hospital April 17, the SHO, not in his uniform, offered Rs.2,000 to her family, the source said, citing the vigilance report.

The SHO was accompanied by a constable at the time when he offered the money to the girl's father, the source said.

The report also pointed to lapses in investigation which led to the girl remaining untraced for two days though she was locked in a room in the building where she lived with her family, the source said.

The source said the report noted that "the SHO had not conducted the proper investigation and not tried to search for the girl".

The vigilance inquiry was ordered April 19, two days after the incident came to light. Three policemen, including the SHO, were suspended from service.

The girl is now undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

She was abducted April 15 and kept hostage for two days without food and water in a room in which one of her attackers lived, police said.

The girl was rescued when members of her family heard her screams April 17. Her two attackers have been arrested from Bihar, police said.

Accused Pradeep is in judicial custody till May 9 and co-accused Mukesh is in police custody till April 30 in Delhi.