Police obtain partial account of victim through doctors

Two more arrested in Manipal sexual assault case

The police have been successful in getting a partial account of the Manipal sexual assault victim through her doctors on Monday night, Prathap
Reddy, IGP (Western Range), said.

Two more men were arrested in connection with the case on the charges of attempting to tamper with evidence, he said on Tuesday.

Briefing reporters, Reddy said the two arrested were brothers of the two accused – Yogesh and Hariprasad. Balachandra Poojary, 40, brother of Yogesh from Anjaru in Hiriyadka, and Hariprasad’s brother Harindra Poojary, 29, from 80-Badagabettu, were taken into custody from their homes.

The auto used for the crime belongs to Harindra Poojary. They tried to destroy evidence to mislead investigation. The suspects were away from their hometown for about three days after the incident, Reddy said. The brothers tried to destroy evidence in their absence. The seized auto was examined and it was found attempts were made to destroy evidence, besides erasing blood stains in the vehicle.

Reddy said following continuous attempts by the police, they were able to elicit partial statements from the victim and assurances of further cooperation by her and her family. “We have crossed a big hurdle in terms of statement of the victim,” the top cop said. He, however, said the statements were procured through her doctors, which accounts to legal significance. There is no problem if the victim’s version is obtained thus, he added.

The police were confident of getting comprehensive statements from the victim. The process of interaction has begun and the department highly respects the privacy of the victim and her family, he added, while stressing that the victim’s statement was properly obtained and admissible. “The parents have requested for privacy and we respect their wish,” he said.

The doctors are yet to certify on the discharge of the victim. The process of procuring DNA fingerprinting and processing is a laborious one. However, it is being done on priority. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) experts have been summoned from Bangalore FSL and Mangalore Regional FSL. The FSL report is awaited, Reddy said.

The victim was allegedly threatened by the accused against revealing the incident. The suspects were taken to the crime scene for confirmation in Onthibettu in the presence of five witnesses, he said.

Hariprasad will be produced before the court on Wednesday when his police custody. The condition of Yogesh, who attempted suicide, continued to be critical, Reddy said.

The two arrested on Tuesday will be produced before the court after the completion of the stipulated 24 hours’ time limit. “We are confident that we will be able to prove most of the things through scientific analysis,” he said, adding that a charge sheet would be filed in a fortnight once the investigating team obtains the FSL report. “It is not the speed that matters, but perfection and well-built charges in the FIR which count.”