MANGALORE: Udupi police have almost completed investigation into the Manipal Rape case, the incident which sent shockwaves in the education hub of the state.
The police will submit the chargesheet in the court once they obtain the forensic report.
Udupi sp MB Boralingaiah told TOI, “We have got the statements of the accused and collected circumstantial evidences which prove prima facie that the offence has taken place.”
We will not be too dependent on the forensic report as we have enough evidence to prove that the offence has taken place. But we will wait for the forensic report to make our case solid and then we will file a chargesheet before the court and then the process from our side will be over,” he said.
The police expect the forensic report to reach them in about a month’s time. There is a big queue at FSL. Sometimes reports take even a year. But this being a special case, we expect it soon,” the Udupi SP said.
Regarding the identification parade, the SP refused to comment. But a source who knew the procedure said, “The ID parade will not have any sanctity since the photographs of the accused were published in some sections of the media. Its utility as evidence in the court will not have any relevance other than technicality.”
The police achieved a breakthrough in the case exactly a week after the heinous sexual assault on a medical student by a gang of three on June 20 night. There were five arrests in total pertaining to the case. The first two arrested in this case were Yogesh Poojari,30, a resident Ontibettu and Hariprasad Poojari,27, of Badagabettu, Parkala. One of the prime accused Yogesh had called IGP (Western range) Pratap Reddy after he attempted suicide by consuming poison. But police managed to trace the location and admitted him to the hospital. He was arrested after he recovered. Similarly, the third accused Anand Panara,28, also tried to commit suicide by hanging, but locals and police foiled the bid. He was also arrested after his discharge from the hospital.
Police had arrested two persons with regard to the Manipal rape case for tampering with case – Harindra Narayan Poojari,29, brother of accused Hariprasad and Balachandra,40, brother of another accused Yogesh.
