06 August,2014 07:35 AM IST | | Vinay Dalvi
Paraskar’s lawyer told Sessions court yesterday that he had destroyed both the phones that contained messages he allegedly exchanged with the model who has accused him of rape
Deputy Inspector General Sunil Paraskar got relief for one more day, when the Sessions court adjourned the hearing of the case in which he is accused of rape, to Wednesday. Paraskar's lawyer, Rizwan Merchant, also told the court that the officer had destroyed the two phones through which he had purportedly exchanged messages with the survivor.
Paraskar's lawyer said the cop destroyed the two phones, as he didn't want sensitive information to leak to anyone. File pic
The senior police official is accused of raping the model in Madh Island and sexually molesting her in an apartment in Navi Mumbai. Arguing in front of judge Vrushali Joshi, Merchant, who appeared for the cop, asked the court why the survivor, after the alleged rape was committed in December, continued to meet the cop.
He said the model had even gifted the policeman a watch worth Rs 70,000. He also asked why there was a discrepancy in facts - in mails exchanged between the cop and model, the latter allegedly said she was raped twice, but in her complaint she has alleged a rape once, said the cop's lawyer.
Merchant tried portraying the survivor's case as false, and said she waited seven months and registered a case only when Paraskar got âoverfriendly' with another model Poonam Pandey. Merchant further questioned why a legal notice was sent instead of filing a rape case with the police or approaching the women's commission.
Crucial evidence gone
Merchant also revealed that Paraskar had destroyed the two phones that allegedly contained messages he had exchanged with the survivor. The lawyer claimed the phones had become useless, but held sensitive information since they were phones belonging to a police officer.
Not wanting this information to be leaked, the phones were destroyed, Merchant told the court. The phones were important for the Crime Branch to check and verify messages exchanged between the model and the cop. Meanwhile, adding another twist to the case, a former advocate of the survivor has come up with CCTV footage.
Merchant claimed the woman is allegedly seen telling the lawyer how to file a case against Paraskar and how to frame him. The survivor had changed her lawyers after she felt this one (with the CCTV footage) was favouring the cop.
