The Rajasthan Police have lodged cases of gang-rape, cheating and extortion against the chairperson and former commissioner of Sirohi Municipal Council after eight women alleged that the duo along with their associates had gang-raped them and other women after calling them to a house in Sirohi promising employment opportunities, officials familiar with the matter said.
The women alleged that 8-10 people raped 15-20 women after giving them food mixed with intoxicants and made obscene videos of them around two-three months ago, the officials said.
A police official on the condition of anonymity said that eight first information reports (FIRs) have been registered at the Kotwali police station under sections 376 D (gang-rape), 417 (cheating) and 384 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code and deputy superintendent of police is probing the matter, the official added.
Police officials familiar with the matter said that the cases were lodged on being directed by the Rajasthan high court. They added that some cases in this matter were also lodged earlier but during investigation when they tried contacting the survivors, their contact details were found false, due to which it was marked as false reports.
HT tried to reach Sirohi superintendent of police (SP) Jyeshtha Maitreyi, but he did not respond to the phone calls.
Municipal council chairman Mahendra Mewada, and former commissioner Mahendra Chaudhary, who is now retired, dismissed the case as fake.
Police officials on the condition of anonymity said that all the FIRs have the same allegations. They said that the accused promised them job opportunities in Anganwadi centres and called them to Sirohi. Mewada and Chaudhary met them there and also arranged a stay for them at the house of a known person, they said in the complaint.
They further said that the duo made arrangements for their food. However, intoxicants were mixed in the food and after consuming it, all the women lost consciousness. They said that when the women regained consciousness, they experienced headache. They alleged that Mewada and Chaudhary along with their associates raped them and recorded obscene videos. They also alleged that a sum of rupees five lakh was also demanded from them, threatening that their videos would be made public if they failed to do so.
The complaints also claimed that Mewada had the women sign blank papers and stamp papers under the guise of job opportunities, with thumb impressions being taken on these documents. However, the women do not possess copies of these documents.
Refuting the allegations, Mewada said that he has called a press conference and would clarify the entire matter. Chaudhary claimed ignorance stating that he was not the commissioner at the time of the alleged incident and that everything is fabricated.
