A vacation bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted anticipatory bail to a co-accused in a kidnapping and rape case after the Sagar police failed to produce CCTV footage of the car allegedly used to transport the survivor to Bhopal and later to Indore, where she was reportedly raped by the second accused.
Details of the Case
The car in question belongs to the petitioner, Mulam Singh Gond, who was allegedly driving the vehicle when the girl was taken after being kidnapped. Gond conceded that the other accused, Sanju Patel, had borrowed his car under the pretext of dropping his mother at Kevlari town. However, Gond maintained that he was not present in the car at the time of the incident and was not driving it.
Complaint and Investigation
The mother of the allegedly kidnapped and raped girl filed a complaint about her missing daughter on March 30, 2026. After the survivor was found on April 4, 2026, she told the police that Sanju Patel had taken her in a white car driven by the petitioner. She was taken to Bhopal and later to Indore, where they stayed for five days, and Sanju Patel allegedly raped her.
Anticipatory Bail Plea
Apprehending his arrest, the petitioner approached the sessions court for anticipatory bail, but it was rejected. His counsel argued that if CCTV footage from relevant points showing the petitioner driving the car was produced, his presence could be verified. The court gave the police two chances, on May 8 and May 15, to produce the CCTV footage and a verification report, but the Sagar police failed to do so.
Court's Decision
The bench of Justice Ramkumar Choubey granted anticipatory bail to the accused, citing the police's failure to provide the required evidence. The court noted that without the CCTV footage, the petitioner's involvement could not be substantiated.
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