The police said the three main accused have been identified and will be arrested soon
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar reviewed with senior police officer BS Sandhu the progress in investigation into the gang-rape of a college student who topped the CBSE board exam. He also transferred the district police chief, as raids continued at several places today to arrest the three accused, including an armyman.
As pressure built on it to act swiftly, the police arrested a registered medical practitioner, who first attended to the woman, and a villager on whose property she was found.
Mr Khattar, who had a scheduled event in Jalandhar in Punjab, cut short his visit and reached Chandigarh in the afternoon, sources said. They said Mr Khattar summoned the Director General of Police (DGP) to his office to review the progress in the investigation. The chief minister directed Mr Sandhu to ensure arrest of all the accused at the earliest, the sources said.
Senior police officer of the district where the crime happened, Rajesh Duggal, who has been accused of failing to take prompt action, has been transferred and will be replaced by the SP of chief minister's security, Rahul Sharma, they said.
Mr Duggal will now lead a battalion of Haryana Armed Police in Hisar.
The woman's family alleged police failed to take prompt action on their complaint and delayed action by citing jurisdiction issue between police units of the districts.
The woman was kidnapped from a bus stop on Wednesday while she was on her way to a coaching class, police said. She was allegedly drugged and gang-raped at a secluded spot. The woman was found at a room housing a tubewell.
The owner of the property, who was among the two people arrested, told police that the three key accused had taken the keys to the room from him on the day of the incident. The police said the house owner knew about the crime, but did not report it.
Police continued raids in Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and some other states to arrest the three key accused, a senior official, who is part of the investigation, said Sunday.
"Multiple teams are at job to nab them. We are hopeful of arresting the accused soon," he said. Some people have also been rounded up for questioning in connection with the case, police sources said.
The woman's family members told reporters that she was in "acute trauma". "The accused should be hanged," the woman's mother told reporters in her village.
She also said the family has decided to return a cheque of Rs 2 lakh handed over to them on Saturday by the district administration officials under the Haryana Victim Compensation Scheme, 2013.
"We do not want this cheque. Is this the price which is being put for honour of my daughter? All we want is justice. We used to hear about long arm of the law, but what is police doing? The accused are yet to be arrested," she said.
Police have provided security to the woman's family. Doctors said the woman's condition was stable, though she was in trauma.
The Haryana police have set up a special investigation team headed by Mewat SP Naazneen Bhasin, and announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the accused.