The female photojournalist who was gangraped on August 22, on Friday identified the four accused in a test identification parade (TIP) held in prison. This comes after the accused were transferred to judicial custody when their custody with the crime branch lapsed. According to crime branch sources, the identification was “positive” and would serve as crucial evidence in the trial.
“The victim and her male friend identified the four accused Salim Ansari, Kasim Bengali, Siraj Rehman Khan and Vijay Jadhav in the Byculla prison. The TIP was held in the presence of the judicial magistrate along with court and prison officials. The four accused were made to stand along with other persons when the two victims specifically identified them. We are expecting a positive report from the magistrate,” said an official from Unit 3 of the crime branch. However, according to rules, crime branch officials were not present when the TIP was conducted. Joint CP (crime) Himanshu Roy also confirmed the development.
The two had also identified the minor accused on Wednesday in the juvenile remand home. Officials will now seek a production warrant following which they will re-arrest the accused in the latest gangrape invo-lving the teenager that took place on July 31.
While officials are confident of a conviction in the August 22 case, they are circumspect about the July 31 case as most evidence has been eliminated.