With the new government to take charge in UP, the lucknow police finally laid hands on absconding minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati accused in a gang-rape case on Wednesday morning. The cops, however, gave him a polite treatment during brief interrogation and his supporters and advocates traveling by SUVs were allowed to associate the minister and to talk with him even when police officers led by ASP East Shivram Yadav were present the scene.
Gayatri was nabbed around 8.15 am on Wednesday from near Agra Expressway (under Para police station area) when he was moving towards the city to surrender before the Alambagh police. He was put at Alambagh police station by the time the court sit on Wednesday morning and later was produced there. He was later sent to jail in 14 days long judicial custody.
On the way to jail, Gayatri was brought at Hazratganj Kotwali where he was mobbed by the mediamen who were jostling one another to take his byte about the allegations. The police took in guard of the minister and this led to a pandemonium like situation there.
Gaytari denied the charges leveled on him and said he did not know the woman who had leveled the charges on him. He said he never gave any mining lease to the woman though he admitted that the woman used to visit his Gautampalli located official residence.
Gayatri demanded Narco test of the woman while he volunteered self to go for a Narco test to prove the charges against him.
After he was brought at Hazratganj Kotwali, he was allowed to sit before the ASP East Shivram for hours and later when he moved out from the ASP East’ cabin, his supporters insisted to allow the accused minister to sit in a SUV but with the mediamen started shouting at police conduct, he was made to sit inside a police vehicle with cops surrounded the vehicle fro, all sides. This led to a stampede like situation and a cameraman was allegedly thrashed up by a support of the minister.
later speaking to the newsmen, SSP lucknow Manzil Saini told the police had picked elder son of the minister and he was interrogated thoroughly. “When we did not get any clue about the minister, the police picked his younger son and his nephew and interrogated them. We told them that they would be challaned for hiding the details about the absconding minister and this worked. They told us the about his location to be in Kolkata. A police team was asked to keep a tab on the minister and he was finally caught,” she told. She said Gayatri was shivering when he was presented before her. “He sought to know the details about the charges leveled on him and asked what ‘remedy’ was available for him. I asked him to seek advice from his counsel,” she told.
She rubbished the media reports that the police was deferring his arrest and was waiting for the final result of the assembly election. “The police had chalked out a plan to attach Gayatri’s property and it would be executed the same had he been not arrested on Wednesday,’ she said. The SSP added that the police will take Gayatri on Police custody remand in the time to come. “We are studying all the aspects related to the incident. Right now the police had no corroborative evidence against Gayatri,” she said.
ASP East, Shivram Yadav looked taking side of the minister as he said the charges leveled against the minister were not sufficient to corroborate his crime. “The woman had denied medical test. She had got her statement recorded before a magistrate under section 164 of CrPC. But the statement will be of no use if she reneged from his statement that she got recorded before a magistrate,’ he argued.
Citing a legal point, the ASP said statements given during the trial were of substance only. “If during trial the woman take back her allegation the minister will get benefit of the same,’ he added.
On Tuesday, the lucknow police on Tuesday nabbed three more accomplices of absconding gang rape-accused minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati. With their arrest, all the six named in the case lodged at Gautampalli police station of lucknow, had been arrested while Gayatri was being hunted by different police teams.
Those arrested were identified as Rupeshwar, of Ashiyana, Vikas Verma of Krishna Nagar and Amrendra Singh alias Pintu of Amethi district. They were nabbed from Hazratganj police station area. Earlier, the police had nabbed Prajapati’s two aides - Ashok Tiwari and Ashish Shukla - from Noida near Jewar on the Yamuna Expressway on March 7 while minister’s security guard Chandrapal was arrested on March 6 near lucknow police lines.
Prajapati was booked on Supreme Court’s directive and subsequently an FIR was lodged on February 17 at Gautampalli police station against the minister and six others his aides for allegedly gang-raping a woman and alleged attempt to rape her minor daughter.
The apex court had asked the UP police to submit an action taken report regarding the incidents in eight weeks in a sealed cover.
With the change of guard in UP, the police had sown interest in tightening noose around the minister. Sources said the UP police had planned to attach two properties of Gayatri in lucknow and one in Amethi (his Assembly constituency) thereby ratcheting up pressure on him to surrender.
A look Out notice was issued against him as also a Non-Bailable Warrant and Gayatri’s passport too has been impounded. Also an alert had been sounded at the airports across the country to annul the possibility of Prajapati’s plan to flee the country.
With his arrest, all the seven accused in the gangrape with the woman and sexual assault with the victim’s daughter had been arrested.
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