Delhi Police to invoke murder charges on rapists

Police sources say they are planning to file charge sheet in court early next week

The Delhi Police will invoke murder charges against the six men allegedly involved in the gangrape and brutal assault of a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus after she died in a Singapore hospital 13 days after treatment.

A senior police official said as soon as they get the official report from the hospital, they will slap murder charges against the accused who were nabbed after the December 16 incident.

Police had initially booked the six men under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), 365 (kidnapping or abducting), 376 (2)(g) (gang rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 394 (hurting in committing robbery) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

The girl had boarded the bus, thinking it to be a legitimate public carriage, from Munirka but was attacked and gangraped even as her male friend accompanying her tried to protect her. He was also injured in the incident.

Police sources said they are planning to file the charge sheet in a court early next week.

The arrested persons are driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Akshay Thakur, Pavan and Vinay. The sixth person apprehended claimed that he is a minor and police have sought the court's permission to get a bone check to ascertain his age.