The case of a Delhi woman tourist allegedly being gang-raped in the City took another curious turn on Saturday.
An advocate, empowered with a vakalat nama and other relevant papers from the victim, landed at the Bangalore Airport police station and withdrew the gangrape complaint.
Caught unawares, the police, however, are not ready to let the incident get a silent burial.
A senior officer told Deccan Herald, “We were virtually blackmailed and forced to take up the investigation as the victim narrated the whole story in front of the cameras and staff of a Kannada TV news channel.”
The senior officer also said that the presentation of the complaint withdrawal letter, does not mean that the case will be wrapped up.
“We will see to it that the case reaches its logical end. We are searching for the main accused, Sandeep,  and if need be the victim will also be brought to Bangalore,” he added.
Police are furious with the television channel, whose over-zealous sting operation they believe has frustrated their efforts to get to the bottom of the case.
They are even blaming the latest turn in the case on the sting operation.
The case surfaced on Monday last when the victim arrived on the doorstep of the office of the DCP (Crime), CCB branch with the reporter and cameras of the TV channel in tow.
According to the senior police officer, the victim narrated before the TV camera, her agonising experiences after she arrived in Bangalore to the police officer. She is believed to have firmly declined to undergo medical checkup or file a complaint.
Help sought
After taking up the investigation, police were forced to seek the help of the TV reporter as the victim preferred to remain with the mediaperson. But they were completely unaware that the reporter was recording the probe progress on a sting camera.
As the gangrape came under media glare, the victim silently gave the police a slip and left the City on Thursday.
The sting operation was partially telecast on the channel on Friday.
Police are now making all efforts to lay their hands on the video footage with the TV news channel. The video footage is believed to include the confession of three of the accused before the police and the victim.
Sources in the television channel said that a crucial portion of the sting footage has now gone missing.
The police are now contemplating serving notices on the television channel to part with the footage from the sting operation.