Army colonel accused of raping friend's wife arrested

An Army colonel accused of raping his civilian friend's wife of Russian origin after intoxicating her husband at the Officers' Mess in Cantonment area was arrested on Tuesday. "Col Neeraj Gahlot was arrested while trying to flee to an unknown place to evade his arrest," said Superintendent of Police (East) Raj Kumar Agarwal.

Police had launched a manhunt for Col Neeraj Gahlot whose mobile location was traced in the vicinity of officers' mess on Monday evening but he had been evading his arrest, said Cantonment Circle' Additional Superintendent of Police Nikhil Pathak.

A team headed by Chakeri police station's SHO Ravi Srivastava was dispatched to nab the absconding officer, but his room was found locked from outside, the ASP said. The colonel posted here was booked on Sunday for allegedly raping his friend's wife at the Officers' Mess, police said.

The victim's husband, a civilian, lodged an FIR against the Army officer at the Cantonment police station, SP Agarwal had said earlier. According to the complainant, his wife is of Russian descent and has been living in India for 10 years.

The accused allegedly had invited his civilian friend to the Officer's Mess and gave him an intoxicating drink which made him him unconscious, said police adding the Army officer subsequently raped his friend's wife. The accused also allegedly assaulted the woman when she put up a resistance. After raping the woman, the colonel took leave from his bosses and went underground to evade arrest, said an official.

The rape survivor was subsequently produced before a judicial magistrate who recorded her statement under section 164 of the CrPC, said Pathak, adding the statement, however, is yet to be shown to the police.

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