THE Raisen Police have arrested Insaf Hussain of Hanumanganj, Zaid Khan of Talaiya, and Shehzad Khan of Gandhinagar for allegedly providing shelter to Salman alias Nazar, the prime accused in the rape of a six-year-old girl in Gauharganj. All three have been sent to jail. The main accused, Salman, who was injured in a police encounter on November 27, has also been sent to judicial custody after being discharged from the hospital.

 

Police have arrested all the accused involved in aiding the fugitive and have now uncovered the entire sequence of events during Salman’s escape. Following sustained investigation, the police have pieced together every step taken by the accused while he was on the run. How the accused escaped after the crime: After being treated for injuries and subjected to psychological questioning, the prime accused revealed the complete details of his escape and the places where he hid.

 

Salman admitted that after committing the crime, he went to a roadside shop on the highway to buy cigarettes, where the victim’s father attempted to catch him. To evade capture, he fled into the nearby forest, stole two mobile phones from a hut, and changed his shirt. Where he hid during the escape:November 22:First Night on the Run: Police said that the accused took a lift on a tractor and got down near the Gauharganj court. From there, he walked through a forest trail and boarded a bus to Nadra Bus Stand.

 

Later, he reached Habibganj Naka, where he threw one of the stolen phones into a drain beneath the RRL bridge. He spent the night in an abandoned building in the Karond Mandi area. November 23: Searching for Work: On November 23, while looking for work, he met contractor Zaid Khan and house owner Insaf Hussain. They provided him shelter and employed him for three days at their under construction building, during which he managed to evade the police.

 

November 26: Selling the Second Phone: On November 26, he dismantled the second stolen phone and sold its parts to scrap dealer Shehzad in Nariyal Kheda. After consuming alcohol, he slept on the roadside. The next day, November 27, he was recognised by local youths in Gandhinagar while looking for a rented room and was apprehended by the police.

 

Strict Action Against Those Who Sheltered Him: Ashutosh Gupta, Raisen SP: “The main accused, Salman alias Nazar, has been sent to jail after his treatment was completed. Not only this, strict action has been taken against those who saved the accused of this horrific crime. The investigation is ongoing. If the involvement of any other person is revealed, further action will be taken.” Police confirmed that the three accused, Insaf Hussain, Zaid Khan, and Shahzad Khan, were arrested for aiding and abetting the perpetrator, and the investigation remains open to identify any other accomplices.