Special team to probe minor's rape in Chandigarh

Chandigarh Police Saturday announced the setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the rape of a teenager allegedly by five policemen, officials said.

Five Chandigarh Police constables - Jagtar, Akshay, Sunil, Himmat and Anil - were booked Thursday for gang rape after the 16-year-old girl complained that she was repeatedly raped by two of the policemen while the remaining three had molested her in their bid to force her to have physical relations with them.

The girl accused the policemen of threatening her and then raping her in the past two months.

All five accused, who were arrested and are in police custody, were Friday dismissed from service.

"We have taken immediate action against the accused. They have been dismissed from service with immediate effect," Senior Superintendent of Police S.S. Gill told the media here.

The five-member SIT set up for the investigation will be headed by sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Ashish Kapoor and includes three women officers.

On Saturday, leaders of various political parties, including the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, met senior police officers and demanded strict action against the accused.

In her complaint to the police, the girl said she came in contact with one of the constables when she had called up the police control room (PCR) after an incident in her house nearly three month ago.

The constable took her mobile number after visiting her house and later established contact with her, she said.

The girl alleged that the constable Sunil, who is posted in the crime branch, established physical relations with her. Later, another constable Akshay also did the same.

Three other constables too tried to force her to have physical relations with her. All the other constables are posted in the PCR wing.

Police have booked all the accused for rape, wrongful restraint and assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty under the Indian Penal Code. They were also booked under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

All the constables are aged between 23 to 25 years.