Neighbour who found five-yr-old rape victim testifies

A neighbour of the five-year-old girl, who was raped allegedly by two youths here leading to widespread protests, today told a Delhi court that the child was rescued from the locked room of the accused after he heard her cries.
Prosecution witness Abhishek recorded his statement before Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sanjay Garg. He said when he heard the cries of the child from the room of accused Manoj Shah, he immediately informed her mother and the girl was saved after the locals broke open the door.
The witness said the girl was missing since April 15 evening and was found on the morning of April 17 from the room adjacent to his in the building's basement.

"On April 17, I was present at the basement and at around 6.30-7 AM, I heard cries of the child coming from the room of Manoj which was locked from outside.
"I came out of my room and immediately informed the girl's mother and several other persons also gathered outside the room and they broke the lock of the room," he said during his examination-in-chief by Special Public Prosecutor Rajiv Mohan who was assisted by the complainant's counsel Virender Verma.
Manoj Shah and Pradeep Kumar, now in judicial custody, are accused of raping the girl on April 15. The child was rescued 40 hours later on April 17. The accused had fled after committing the crime, leaving the girl behind in Manoj's room believing her to be dead. They were later arrested from Bihar, according to police.

Abhishek, who had earlier also recorded his statement before a magistrate under section 164 CrPC, also testified that when the door was opened, he saw the child lying in a pool of blood.
He said the police were called and the girl was rushed to the hospital by her family.
Apart from him, the court also recorded the statements of two other witnesses-- the victim's uncle and Manoj's employer.