Rehan Qureshi, who was incarcerated for several years, acquitted in 2016 case for lack of evidence
The court determined that no evidence connected the accused to the crime. Representation Pic/istock
Rehan Abdul Rashid Qureshi, an alleged serial rapist, kidnapper, and murderer of several minor girls, has been acquitted in yet another case due to insufficient evidence. The prosecution once more failed to substantiate the charges against him.
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Qureshi, who faces accusations in 22 cases of kidnapping and sexual abuse, has been incarcerated for several years. Last year, the Dindoshi Sessions Court cleared him in a case concerning the sexual abuse of a 10-year-old minor girl, citing a lack of evidence. Similarly, last week, the Bombay Sessions Court acquitted him in a separate case involving the rape and kidnapping of a 13-year-old minor under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. This incident was reported to the Bhoiwada police station in 2016. Qureshi faced trial under Sections 363 (kidnapping) and 376(3) (rape of a minor) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, as well as Section 6 of the POCSO Act, 2012, related to a case filed against him.
The victim’s father stated, “I was at work when my wife informed me that an unknown person had kidnapped our daughter. Upon receiving this news, I immediately rushed home. My wife told me that around 4.30 pm, an unknown man came to our house and claimed that I had sent some items from the hospital, which were kept outside. He then called out to our daughter, but my wife insisted that she would go herself to collect the items. The unknown man and my wife then walked towards Dr B A Road. After covering some distance, the man told her that he had left his bag at our house and asked her to wait near the gate of the Gurudwara while he went back to retrieve it. She waited at the spot, but the man never returned. Sensing something was wrong, she hurried back home and found that our daughter was missing. Panicked, she called me immediately. We searched for our daughter everywhere but could not find her. Eventually, we lodged a missing person’s complaint with the police. During the investigation, it was revealed that the accused had kidnapped the minor girl and sexually assaulted her.”
Girl’s statement
According to the girl’s account to the police, the unknown man arrived at her home, informed her that her father had sent some clothes, and instructed her to meet him near the Gurudwara to retrieve them. She accompanied him, but rather than meeting her father, he took her to various locations—Naigaon Co-operative Housing Society, Venu Apartment in Kesar Bagh, and a building on D F Road—each time claiming the complainant was absent. When she questioned him, he assured her that her mother and brother were on their way and told her to wait on the staircase.
The man then claimed her father had given him Rs 5,000 for stitching her clothes and that he needed to take her measurements. He asked her to remove her clothes, but when she refused, he threatened her and forcibly stripped off her T-shirt and pants. The accused then sexually assaulted her. After the victim vomited, the accused fled the scene. She returned home and told her mother, who subsequently filed a police complaint.
No evidence found
Bhoiwada police inspected the crime scene, conducted a panchanama, recorded statements, and gathered forensic samples. The medical report showed that the victim’s genital organs were intact, with no signs of genital injury. The forensic report similarly indicated no evidence of recent genital trauma. In cross-examination, the medical officer confirmed that the alleged incident occurred on June 19, 2016, and the victim was examined at the hospital on the same day. He noted that 24 hours had elapsed since the incident and that the observed injuries, possibly from an assault with tiles, dated back one or two days prior.
The court determined that no evidence connected the accused to the crime. It found the testimonies of the victim and complainant unreliable and lacking credibility. The statements of prosecution witnesses did not corroborate the charges against the accused. Based on these findings, the court ruled that the prosecution failed to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, resulting in Qureshi’s acquittal.
Accused lawyer speaks
Qureshi’s attorney, Nazneen Khatri, stated, “My client, Rehan Qureshi, is innocent, and he is falsely implicated in all the cases.”
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