Model unaware of her organiser's role in rape

HYDERABAD: A Mumbai-based event manager appears to have lured a model and small-time actress to the city on the pretext of a New Year Eve assignment, but when she landed here, he and three other associates spiked her soft drink and gang-raped her at a flat in Nizampet on December 31 night. However, the 25-year-old model did not know that her organiser was among the culprits who violated her as she had never met him in person.
This startling revelation came to light when Central Crime Station (CCS) investigators were grilling several suspects in the case. On Saturday, police formally showed the arrest of two persons __ P Venkat Raju, a civil contractor, and Happy, an event manager__and it is learnt that some more culprits were in their custody. With intense media focus on the rape case both in Hyderabad and Mumbai, the Hyderabad police have nabbed the culprits in less than 24 hours after taking over the case. Venkat Raju was picked up from his native place Pochampadu in Nizamabad, while Nitin Yadav alias 'Happy' was arrested in Mumbai.
Addressing the media on Saturday, city police commissioner Anurag Sharma said Happy contacted the victim on January 30 with an offer of Rs 1 lakh for an assignment at a New Year Eve party in Hyderabad. As per the agreement, Happy was to get Rs 25,000 cut. After clinching the deal, Nitin directed the model to contact one Ali alias Ajay Sharma after landing at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Shamshabad.
"Ali received her at RGIA and put her in a car, in which Happy, Venkat Raju, Hari Krishna were already seated. Though the model had spoken to Happy and struck a deal, she had never seen him in person. So, she was unaware about Happy's presence among other co-passengers. While the victim was being taken to Nizampet, where the culprits had taken a flat on rent, en route they had bought liquor, cool drinks and chicken pakoda,'' Anurag Sharma said.
After they reached the flat, which was rented by Venkat Raju, she was given a soft drink laced with some drug, police said. "It was in this unconscious state, Happy, Ali, Venkat Raju and Hari Krishna gang-raped her. When the victim was in a semi-conscious state, they extracted her debit card ATM pin number. After she unknowingly disclosed the pin number, they withdrew Rs 57,000 in two transactions," the commissioner said. However, the victim, in her complaint, alleged that the PIN number could have been procured from her phone where she had saved it. After the offence, the culprits put her in a Mumbai-bound Jabbar Travels bus. To a query on how could a semi-conscious woman get into a bus without any assistance, Anurag Sharma did not have any an answer, but quickly added "The matter is under investigation."
Based on CCTV footage at ATMs and mobile phone tower locations, Happy was nabbed by a CCS team from his home in Mumbai. Police have also recovered the debit card and bag from his possession. Though it is learnt that Ali and Hari Krishna were also in custody, the commissioner said a manhunt has been launched to hunt Ali, who is suspected to be holed up in Mumbai.
During the press meet, a limping Venkat Raju was produced. The victim has been sent for medical examination, particularly to identify the drug given to her.