The specs and insole of shoe allegedly belonging to Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who has been arrested on charge of attempting to rape Roshni Shahi, and a glass he used to drink whisky recovered from Shahi's apartment have been sent to the Central Police Forensic Science Laboratory. The reports, however, have yet to arrive.
Mahara is currently in police custody after being arrested on October 6 and under investigation for attempting to rape.
A police officer involved in investigation told Setopati that DNA test of Mahara can also be conducted if there are links of the recovered items with him.
"DNA tests show if anything is left in the victim's body in case of rape. DNA test may also be required to verify the items found even during an attempt to rape," the police officer explained.
The police had collected broken specs, glass and bottle of whisky, and shoe insole from Shahi's apartment on September 30.
The tests on bruises over Shahi's body have already been conducted and they have showed that someone had assaulted her. "It has already been established that Mahara had gone to Shahi's apartment that evening and one can safely say that the bruises, that the reports prove was due to assault by someone, were of Mahara's making," the officer reasoned.
Mahara has been produced before the Kathmandu District Court for investigation in the attempt to rape case on Tuesday. He was taken to the court from Norvic International Hospital where he remains after being admitted on Thursday with complaints of hypertension.
Mahara is in police custody since his arrest. A joint team of Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu, Metropolitan Police Circle, New Baneshwore and Metropolitan Police Crime Division arrested Mahara from the speaker's residence in Baluwatar on October 6 after the Kathmandu District Court issued arrest warrant earlier on the day.
Mahara was staying at the speaker's residence despite resigning from the post on October 1. A bench of Justice Brajesh Pyakurel earlier on Sunday gave permission to the police to arrest Mahara and investigate. The new Criminal Code 2017 requires court permission to arrest any individual.
Shahi had finally lodged attempt to murder complaint with the Metropolitan Police Circle, New Baneshwore against Mahara on October 4 claiming that Mahara attempted to rape her and assaulted her when she resisted.
The police had reached the court seeking arrest warrant on the basis of that complaint.
Mahara stands to be jailed for up to five years if he is found guilty of attempting to rape her. Raping a woman older than 18 years carries a jail term of seven to 10 years, according to the Criminal Code 2017. Attempt to rape carries half the sentence which means Mahara can be jailed from 3.50-5 years if he is found guilty.
Mahara was accused of rape and assault by Shahi on September 29. She claimed an inebriated Mahara reached her rented apartment in Tinkune with a bottle of whiskey when there was no one else in the apartment Sunday night and raped her.
Shahi had called the police within an hour of the alleged incident and a team from Metropolitan Police Circle, New Baneshwore had immediately reached her rented apartment in Tinkune and recorded details from her.
She spoke to the media the next day showing bruises on her face and legs she said were inflicted by Mahara. But the police slept on the case and waited for written complaint from Shahi.
She still had bruises on her face when she reached the police with her husband Chitra Jung Shahi to register the notice giving clean chit on October 2.
An emergency secretariat meeting of ruling CPN held at the prime minister's (PM) residence in Baluwatar on October 1 asked Mahara to resign from both speaker and lawmaker to facilitate investigation. But Mahara resigned only from the post of speaker and has yet to resign from that of lawmaker as per the secretariat decision.
