Nagpur: Over 70 days after his arrest, the 19-year-old Thane youth accused of holding a 16-year-old girl captive in a Dighori flat and subjecting her to brutal physical and sexual torture for more than 24 hours, continues to wallow in Nagpur Central Jail. He has been denied bail and police are hopeful of a quick conviction under POCSO Act.Hudkeshwar police in September last week filed a 550-page chargesheet, which includes statements from 40 witnesses and clinching evidence. Sources stated an additional chargesheet would be filed after forensic reports of the electronic gadgets are readied and submitted to police.The survivor has returned to school and begun preparing for exams. She was assisted by a dedicated team of psychologists and counsellors arranged by the child welfare committee (CWC) to overcome trauma. CWC also suggested family counselling sessions and the survivor is responding well, said a source.Police sources said the chargesheet included clinical findings in the alleged sexual torture case, including circumstances in which the girl was held captive. Hudkeshwar police rescued the girl from a rented flat in Dighori on August 3. The accused was arrested on August 4.When police stormed into the flat, they were shocked to find the girl tied to a bed, bleeding and barely clothed. After his arrest, the accused complained of police torture before the court and was admitted to Government Medical College and Hospital. After his discharge, he was sent to Nagpur Central Jail, where he remains in judicial custody.His defence lawyer recently sought bail, but the court rejected the application. The defence also tried to get the case transferred to another court. However, the principal district judge rejected that request too.Names of more survivors of the accused’s brutality may surface after the digital evidence is recovered and retrieved from the seized devices. Police are now focusing on electronic evidence, which they believe could further strengthen the case, said an official.
