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Senior Maharashtra Indian Police Service officer Sunil Paraskar, accused of raping and molesting a model-turned-actress, has declined to undergo a polygraph test while the victim expressed readiness to face the scientific examination.
To conduct the test, the consent of person/persons in question is required and hence police had written to both Paraskar and the survivor seeking their consent to subject them to the examination, commonly known as lie detector test.
"My client has refused to undergo the polygraph test. We gave our response in writing (to police)," Rizwan Merchant, the counsel for Paraskar, said. The police maintained the deputy inspector general-level officer and the model were not forthcoming about some questions posed to them during recording of their statements. Hence, investigators pushed for subjecting the duo to polygraph test.
The 25-year-old victim said she was ready to face lie detector test and sought to know why the top cop was not giving his consent for the same. "I have just signed (papers) to agree to undergo a polygraph test," she told PTI.
The victim's lawyer, Chitra Salunkhe, claimed the officer had been changing his statements. "Paraskar knows his lies would be uncovered if lie detector test is carried out on him." Following the model's complaint, Paraskar was booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 376(2)(rape by a police officer), 376 C (intercourse by superintendent of jail, remand home, etc) and 354 (D) (stalking) at Malwani Police Station on July 23.
The 57-year-old DIG (Protection of Civil Rights Units) is at present posted at Maharashtra Police Headquarters. Investigators have identified two places -- a bungalow in MadhIsland in suburban Mumbai and a flat in neighbouring Navi Mumbai -- where the alleged incidents took place.
The DIG, granted interim protection from arrest till August 5 by a court, has been questioned twice so far. Meanwhile, the name of a businessman who was arrested last year has cropped up in the case. Crime Branch, handling the rape case, on Friday recorded statement of Bimal Agarwal, the businessman who has been linked to the DIG.
Agarwal had been arrested by Economic Offences Wing for allegedly supplying sub-standard bomb disposal suits to the police force. According to the model, Agarwal had in December 2013 dropped Paraskar outside a mall in suburban Malad in his vehicle. From there, she and the IPS officer went to the Madh bungalow where the alleged sexual assault took place.