Police have arrested the son of the former Cabinet Minister of Jammu and Kashmir government for committing rape on seventh class student six years ago.
The son of People’s Conference leader Abdul Gani Vakil, who was then Cabinet Minister of Congress-PDP coalition Government, has been lodged in Domana Police Station of Jammu district where an FIR was registered against him and his associates, a Jammu based newspaper Daily Excelsior reported.
The report quoting sources identified the accused as Abid Gani son of Abdul Gani Vakil, earlier a prominent Congress leader, who has since shifted his loyalty to the People’s Conference. Gani is a resident of Nowpora, Sopore.
Abid Gani was wanted in First Information Report (FIR) No. 130/2015 registered at Domana Police Station on April 26, 2015 under Sections 376/511/354/342/109 RPC and 4/25 Arms Act.
He was arrested from Sopore in Kashmir on June 5, the report said.
Quoting sources, the report said the case remained pending in Domana Police Station for the last five years and all previous SHOs made no attempt to arrest the son of former Minister despite the fact that his whereabouts were fully known as Abid Gani used to stay in his house with his father.
Parents of the victim kept knocking doors of Domana Police Station but to no avail. Even senior officers posted earlier in the district took no interest in the case knowing well about the rapist and his whereabouts as family of the girl didn’t have enough money to grease palms of previous SHOs, the report said.
The report added that present SHO at the helm at Domana Police Station and senior officers gave nod for the arrest of former Cabinet Minister’s son but they too kept the arrest secret and didn’t disclose it to the media as is done generally in other cases by issuing press notes and holding press conferences.
Sources said investigations of the case earlier were intentionally kept slow in view of involvement of influential person in the case, it said.
As per the complaint lodged by parents of the victim, on April 26, 2015, the minor girl studying in Class 7th hailing from village Karloop under the jurisdiction of Domana police station had gone to Bantalab along with her teacher and some other students for a function of sports. She returned in the school bus up to Paloura where her father’s friend boarded her in a matador for her residence.
However, when the matador stopped at Patta-Bohri, two unknown persons called her from matador window and told that her father’s friend is in their relations and had advised them to drop her to her house at Karloop.
The girl got down from the matador and boarded the car, the kidnappers took her to Government Quarter at Poonch House in Talab Tillo and forcibly raped her, the report said.
Thereafter, they dropped her at Patta Chowk from where she reached home and narrated the incident to her parents.
