Mangaluru, Aug 26: “According to the information gathered, the assault on Shakir occurred within a span of 18 minutes and jurisdictional Pandeshwar police arrived at the spot in Attavar as soon as they received news about the assault,” said Mangaluru City Police Commissioner S Murugan.
Addressing media persons at his office in the city on Wednesday, the top cop said that the 28-year-old Muslim youth was dragged from his car by accused persons at 5.52 p.m. in Attavar in Pandeshwar police station limits on Monday evening. He was then tied to a pole, stripped and assaulted by the same accused, who also filmed the entire episode. Pandeshwar police arrived at the spot by 6.10 p.m. and later took the victim to the hospital. It is clear from factual evidence such as CCTV cameras and phone records that the assault did not occur for as long as an hour, he clarified.
The commissioner also revealed the girl had also stepped into the car of the victim and the car had moved a short distance before it was waylaid.
- Timeline:
- 5: 27 p.m. Shakir came out of Supermarket
- 5: 34 p.m. The woman came out of Supermarket
- The duo were talking to each other for a few minutes
- 5: 47 p.m. Both Shakir and woman enter the car
- 5: 52 p.m. Assailants drag Shakir out of the car
Mr Murugan informed reporters that based on the complaint lodged by the victim, a case had been registered on charges of rioting, dacoity, attempt to murder and threat to life. A total of 13 youth have been arrested by the police on the basis of pictures circulated on Whatsapp and social networking sites, along with other evidence. Out of the 13 accused, six accused are affiliated to the saffron outfit Bajrang Dal while one belonged to the local unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). All the accused have been remanded to judicial custody till September 7 and have been shifted to Bellary Central Prison, he said.
In response to a query, Mr Murugan informed that none of the accused had previous cases against them, except for an accused Kishan, who had been previously booked for a petty quarrel. He said that the police were in search of another 2-3 accused and other 5-6 suspects in connection with the case.
“Another case has been registered on the basis of the complaint lodged by the girl accompanying the victim, alleging indecent behaviour from him. This case will also be investigated. Several witnesses have been identified to determine the truth, along with collecting information from CCTV footage, pictures circulated on Whatsapp and phone records. We have sufficient material to come to a truthful conclusion in both the cases,” he said.
He also expressed doubts that the assault was a pre-planned act. Further investigation will be done in this regard, he assured.
There is no doubt that such instances not only spread fear among people in the society, but also tarnished the image of the district. Efforts are on to arrest several more perpetrators involved in the case. The police will also take measures to curb the occurrence of such instances, said Mr Murugan.
In response to another query, he said that he would not speculate on rumours that the sibling of the woman was a member of the same saffron outfit as the accused.
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