Complainant’s statement to be recorded again

The Borivali police had registered an FIR against Dhobale under sections 376 (rape) of the IPC.

After the Bombay High Court transferred the probe into the rape case filed against former state minister and NCP leader Laxman Dhobale to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, officers said they would again record the statement of the complainant — a 42-year-old woman.

The Borivali police had registered an FIR against Dhobale under sections 376 (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and 506 (intimidation) of the IP C.

“We will have to record the statement of the woman complainant again, and it will be recorded by a woman police officer. We have received the copy of the court’s order and also have the earlier registered First Information Report from Borivali Police station,” said Dhananjay Kulkarni, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection).

“The technical evidence is more important to the investigation, so we have asked for the same from Goregaon police station who were investigating the case. We have asked for the CCTV footage of the alleged scene of crime from the institute where she worked,” added Kulkarni. Sources said the police were looking into text messages received and sent by the complainant.

The complainant works as a clerk at an educational trust of which Dhobale is a trustee. She has alleged that Dhoble blackmailed her and raped her over a period of two years. Dhoble had allegedly threatened to circulate obscene photographs of her.
mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com

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