Andaman court sends gang-rape accused labour commissioner to police custody

A local court on Tuesday remanded Andaman and Nicobar labour commissioner Rishishwar Lal Rishi to seven days' police custody in connection with the gang-rape case filed by a 21-year-old woman against him and others including a former chief secretary.

The police arrested Rishi on Monday after he reached Port Blair from Chennai.

He was produced before chief judicial magistrate Ayan Majumder's court on Tuesday.

The CJM, after hearing all the parties, sent him to police remand till November 29.

So far, three accused have been arrested in the case, including former chief secretary Jitendra Narain and Port Blair-based businessman Sandeep Singh alias Rinku.

A special investigation team was constituted to probe allegations that the 21-year-old woman was lured to the chief secretary's home with the promise of a government job, and then raped there by top officials including Narain there.

The SIT has already questioned Narain thrice. He will be once again produced before the CJM on Wednesday.

The Andaman and Nicobar Police had on November 2 announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh each for providing information leading to the arrest of Singh and Rishi.

Singh, who had been absconding, was apprehended from Haryana on November 13.

The FIR in the case was registered on October 1 when Narain was posted as the chairman and managing director of the Delhi Financial Corporation.

The government suspended him on October 17 with immediate effect.

The woman claimed in the FIR that as her father and stepmother did not take care of her financial needs, she needed a job and was introduced by some people to the labour commissioner as he was close to the then chief secretary.

She also claimed that the chief secretary appointed “7,800 candidates” in various departments in the administration of the islands “on the basis of recommendation only” and without any “formal interview”.

The woman alleged that she was lured to the chief secretary's home with the promise of a government job, and then raped there on April 14 and May 1.