HIGHLIGHTS
*An 18-year-old second-year law student was allegedly raped by her best friend's father early on Friday
*The man was arrested later in the day
*In court, the rape suspect claimed he was innocent and it was the law student who had come to his room in the night
GURUGRAM: She was in a place she fully trusted - her best friend's house - and in company she had been familiar with since she was in Class III. But in a flat at The Belaire in Gurugram that was like another home, an 18-year-old second-year law student was allegedly raped by her best friend's father early on Friday while his own daughter slept in another room.
The man, who she had addressed as 'uncle' since she was a kid, was arrested later on Friday. Police said his daughter was present when the complaint was filed by the law student and her mother at the women's police station, and told the officer her father must be punished.
The rape suspect, a businessman dealing in dental implants with two offices on Sohna Road and with business interests in Canada, was sent to 14 days in judicial custody.
On Thursday evening, the Belaire-based businessman had taken his daughter and the law student out for dinner at Cyber Hub.
In her complaint, the law student said her friend's father had betrayed the trust she put in him as a father figure. "He took us to Cyber Hub and ordered alcohol. He forced me and his daughter to have hard drinks," the law student said in the complaint.
Between 4 and 5am, he entered his daughter's room where the two women were sleeping. "He woke me up, held my hands and dragged me to his room," the law student said in her complaint. "He then locked the room from inside and raped me."
She returned to her friend’s room, woke her up and told her what had happened. In the morning, the friend escorted her home, in an upscale housing society a short drive away.
They reached around 10am and spoke to the law student’s mother. Around 11am, all three went to the police station to file a complaint. The man was arrested from the Belaire flat. In court, the rape suspect claimed he was innocent and it was the law student who had come to his room in the night.
His wife, who spoke to TOI over the phone, said the family’s image had been tarnished forever in society. “I am in shock,” she said, adding she was informed by her daughter and is to return to Gurgaon on Saturday night. The law student’s father, also a businessman who is originally from Rajasthan, said he would engage the best lawyer to ensure harshest punishment for the man who had violated his daughter. “No words can describe how I feel. I hope my daughter gets justice soon,” he said.