BENGALURU: The accused who allegedly raped a 19-year-old woman in a moving bus has reportedly confessed to the crime during police interrogation. Meanwhile, the doctors who conducted medical tests have also confirmed that the victim was raped.
The Sulibele police produced both the accused, Ravi, 21, and Manjunath, 23, before a court and they have been remanded to judicial custody till November 20. Earlier, the police grilled both the accused about the incident and also took them to the spot where they allegedly picked up the woman and the place where they pushed her out of the bus.
“During the questioning, accused Ravi confessed that he raped the woman while Manjunath also accepted the fact that he was driving the bus when the crime took place. They were taken to Hastigala, from where the victim was picked up and later to Thimmasandra, where she was pushed out of the bus. The distance between the pick-up and drop point is around five kilometres. As per the victim’s statement the rape took place between 7.45 am to 8 am and the statements of both the accused have also matched it,” the police said.
Meanwhile, the doctors who conducted the medical tests have told the police that there was a sexual intercourse. “The doctors have orally told that there was rape, however, we need to get report by the doctors, and it will take a few more days’ time,” the police added.
The police have also sent the clothes the victim and the accused were wearing during the incident to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). “We have collected several other evidences in the bus. Everything has been sent to the FSL for analysis and it would act as a clinching evidence to nail the accused,” the police said.
‘Change transport policy’
Following two rapes involving public transport vehicles in a month, K.S. Vimala of Janawadi Mahila Sanghatane has urged that the transport policy needs to be changed. Vimala told Deccan Chronicle, “When there was a rape of BPO staffer by two drivers in Madivala, the Transport Minister had made a statement that his department will crackdown on vehicles plying without proper documents. But nobody knows whether his order is being followed strictly by the transport department officials. Even in the Sulibele case, there is no clarity on who owned the vehicle. If a woman cannot travel safely in a bus in broad daylight, where is safety for women in the state?”
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
