In a shocking development, a district court in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly reportedly granted bail to a cold storage owner’s son and six others within 24 hours of being arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of two women who were set on fire after gangrape.
The court reportedly cited ‘delay in producing case diary’ as the reason for granting the bails.
According to SSP OP Singh, the women were murdered on July 3 by three co-workers, namely Ibne Hasan, Ajay Sharma, and Mukesh Pal.
The following morning, Mayur Gupta, along with Ramveer alias Pappu, Ramratan Yadav, and Pradeep Yadav, packed the bodies in polythene sacks and dumped them in a pond.
Subsequently, they were sent to jail.
According to reports, the court proceedings took place on Tuesday, and on the same day, the court demanded the case diary from the investigating officer (IO) without allowing sufficient time for its submission.
A senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concerns about Mayur’s bail, as he was actively involved in the heinous crime.
The accused individuals were charged under sections 376-D (gang rape), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 201 (disappearance of evidence), and section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Shockingly, the IO was not given even a single day to present the evidence.
SSP OP Singh expressed disappointment over Mayur’s bail, stating that they sought his custody for further investigation.
They are considering the possibility of challenging this decision in a higher court. The court’s order reportedly highlighted that the accused had assisted in concealing the evidence by disposing of the bodies.
The IO was instructed to present the case diary, but it was not made available. Despite the case pending in the additional district and session court, the crime was considered bailable due to the existing circumstances and facts.
The victims, both married and residing with their families, were employed as laborers at the cold storage unit.
On July 4, the police discovered their bodies in a pond located in Bachi village, under Ushait police jurisdiction. The cause of death, confirmed by the autopsy, was strangulation, and doctors created slides for confirmation of sexual assault.