Rape square: the importance of role play in crime investigation and helping the victim

You must have heard how useful the reconstruction of a crime scene is in solving a criminal case and helping the victim. But people, general public as well as experts in the fields of psychology or criminal investigation, are still uncertain about how far they should go in this reconstruction:

ASI 'raped' rape victim, CID probe on

Fri May 07 2010, 03:39 hrs Rajkot

The CID (crime) has initiated an inquiry against an ASI (Assistant Sub-inspector) with Dhrol police in Jamnagar for allegedly raping a rape victim instead of probing her case.

Sources said the case occurred two years ago, and the CID was to get the DNA test done on the rape victim, her daughter and ASI Magan Kotwal after the victim claimed she had a child from the ASI following the rape. “An inquiry has begun under CID in Gandhinagar after the rape victim submitted an application in this regard,” said a CID official at Rajkot.

Two years ago, the victim, who is from Pav village in Dahod, along with husband and children shifted to Kharva village to work in the fields of one Narsinh Patel. In her application, the victim has accused Patel of raping her. She approached Dhrol police station, where her application was marked to ASI Kotwal, who took her to police quarters at Dhrol and raped her. Following threats from the ASI, the family returned to their native place. The victim made a complaint to the CID later.

18-year-old girl raped [multiple times] in south Delhi

TNN | Apr 11, 2011, 06.00am IST

NEW DELHI: An 18-year-old girl was allegedly raped twice at different parts of the city in South Delhi over the span of 24 hours. The incident was reported late on Friday and four men have been arrested.

According to the complaint filed by the victim, she was first raped by her 42-year-old relative in Vasant Kunj area and then raped again by a stranger. The victim claimed that when she had managed to escape from her relative's clutches, and had hailed a cab in desperation around 11pm, she was again raped by the taxi driver and his two associates.

"She has claimed that she was first raped by her brother's father-in-law — Hanuman Mishra — at his Rangpuri residence. She had gone there to look after Mishra's ailing wife. She somehow managed to escape late at night and hailed a taxi on NH-8, near Radisson Hotel. She claimed that she narrated her tale to the taxi driver, Bijender (22), who promised her a lift," said a senior police officer.

He added: "Instead of helping her, he took advantage of her vulnerable state: he picked up two other men — Vinod (28) and Parveen (27) — on they way and they allegedly raped her in the moving car. After that, the two men got down and Bijender drove her to Dwarka sector 19 to drop her off. It was then that a passerby noticed it and made a PCR call around 4.05am. A PCR van sprung into action and managed to apprehend Bijender on the spot." The other three accused, including Mishra, were also arrested. The girl was taken for medical examination where rape was confirmed, said cops.

Mishra works with a catering company at the Delhi airport, while Vinod is a loader there; Parveen is unemployed. Bijender, Vinod and Parveen are residents of Barona village in Sonepat, said cops. The victim is reportedly a student of class 10 and a resident of Faridabad. Her brother had recently married Mishra's daughter. A case under IPC sections 376 (rape), 376-2 (g) (gang rape), 366 (kidnapping or abducting a woman) and 368 (wrongfully concealing or keeping in confinement a kidnapped or abducted person) has been registered.

Anyway, if you are raped, you should avoid telling about it to a man; otherwise, you are in real danger of going through the horrible experience again, because it seems that many men find a rape-story arousing and a rape victim sort of irresistible. Many women find the narration or idea of rape sexually exciting too, but at least a woman won’t rape you and might even help you, without reconstructing the crime scene literally. This reiterates the importance of the presence of female staff in the departments of criminal investigation and justice.