Dec 16 gang rape: Court completes prosecution evidence

A Delhi court on Monday completed recording of the evidence of prosecution witnesses in the December 16 gang-rape case with the investigating officer, saying she had arrested accused after the incident was reported.

"Now the statements of the prosecution witness stands closed," the court said while fixing July 10 to begin recording of the statements of the accused who will explain the circumstances appearing in the evidence against them in response to queries put by the judge.

The woman sub-inspector, posted at Vasant Vihar police station in New Delhi, deposed before Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna that she had arrested accused Pawan Gupta and also seized the clothes worn by him on the night of the incident.

"Accused Pawan Gupta was arrested on December 18, 2012. Five police personnel were with me when I had arrested Pawan. I had recorded the disclosure statement of Pawan in the police station," the IO said, while deposing as 80th witness for the prosecution.

According to the police, on December 16 night, a 23-year-old female physiotherapy intern was beaten up and gang-raped in a bus in which she was travelling with her male friend.

There were six others in the bus, including the driver, Ram Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh all of whom had raped the girl, it said.

The victim died of her injuries on December 29 last year while undergoing treatment at a SingaporeHospital. During the trial, Ram Singh, was found dead in Tihar jail in March 11 and court proceedings against him stand abated.

The sixth accused, a juvenile, is facing the inquiry before the juvenile justice board in New Delhi.