Uber cab rape: Delhi court records investigating officer's statement

New Delhi, Jan 29: A Delhi court on Thursday recorded the testimony of the investigating officer of the two-month-old Uber cab rape case, with indications that recording of prosecution evidence was likely to conclude in a few days.

Delhi Police sub-inspector Renu, the investigating officer (IO) of the case, recorded her statement as the 27th of the 28 prosecution witnesses, before Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja.

The police, in its charge sheet, had cited 44 prosecution witnesses in the case but later dropped 16 witnesses saying their deposition was not necessary.

The IO, through Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava, deposed that on December 8, 2014, when 32-year-old Shiv Kumar Yadav was produced before a magistrate after his arrest and after coming out of the court room, he removed the cloth covering his face.

In the meantime, the victim, who had come to court to record her statement, came there and identified the accused as the one who had raped her on the night of December 5, 2014 here in the cab, the witness said.

The officer said Yadav had refused to participate in Test Identification Parade (TIP) proceedings and during his police custody remand, he had taken the cops to Mathura from where his mobile phone was recovered. On returning to Delhi, Yadav pointed out the place at Vasant Vihar from where he had picked up the victim in his cab, the IO deposed.

She said that earlier the case was being probed by another woman officer and the investigation was handed over to her on December 7 on the written direction of SHO of Police Station Sarai Rohilla.

Renu said she had collected the call detail records of mobile numbers of the accused, the victim and her friend who had booked the Uber cab for her.

The officer said on December 23, 2014, sections 376(2)(m) (endangering a woman's life while raping her) and 366 (kidnapping with an intent to compel her for marriage) of IPC were added on the basis of evidence collected during probe.

The cross examination of the IO remained inconclusive and would continue tomorrow when US-based Uber's Asia Head Eric Alexander would depose as a witness.

Earlier, a forensic expert had told the court that the samples, lifted from the cab, had matched with the DNA profiling of the accused and the victim. The court has recorded statements of 26 witnesses including the victim who had identified Yadav as the one who had raped her when she was returning home in west Delhi's Inderlok.

During her deposition earlier, the woman had categorically stated that Yadav had sexually assaulted her and had stood firm on her stand during her cross-examination.

The court has framed charges against Yadav under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for alleged offences of endangering a woman's life while raping her, kidnapping with an intent to compel her for marriage, criminally intimidating and causing hurt.

PTI