The colonel was accused of allegedly raping his friend’s wife in the officers’ mess (Representational)
Kanpur:
An army colonel accused of raping the Russian-born wife of his civilian friend after poisoning her husband in the officers’ mess in the Cantonment area was arrested Tuesday.
“Colonel Neeraj Gahlot was arrested while trying to flee to an unknown location to evade arrest,” said (east) police superintendent Raj Kumar Agarwal.
Police had launched an operation for Col. Neeraj Gahlot, whose mobile location was tracked in the vicinity of the officers’ mess Monday night, but had been evading arrest, Cantonment Circle Additional Police Superintendent Nikhil Pathak said.
A team led by the SHO from the Chakeri police station, Ravi Srivastava, was sent to arrest the officer, but his room was found locked from the outside, the ASP said.
The posted colonel was charged Sunday with allegedly raping his friend’s wife in the officers’ mess, police said.
The woman’s husband, a civilian, filed a FIR against the Army officer at the Cantonment police station, SP Agarwal had previously said.
According to the author, his wife is of Russian descent and has lived in India for ten years.
The defendant had allegedly invited his civilian friend to the officers’ mess and gave him an intoxicating drink that rendered him unconscious, police said, adding that the army officer subsequently raped his friend’s wife.
The accused also allegedly attacked the woman when she resisted.
After raping the woman, the colonel said goodbye to his bosses and went into hiding to evade arrest, an official said.
The rape survivor was later brought before a judicial magistrate who recorded her statement under section 164 of the CrPC, Pathak said, adding that the statement, however, has not yet been shown to the police.
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