Unnao horror: DNA of five accused matches with girl

LUCKNOW: DNA samples of the five accused who set ablaze the Unnao rape victim on December 5 have matched with the girl's belongings retrieved from the crime site, according to the forensic report accessed by TOI. The five accused, who are currently in jail, had intercepted the girl, doused her in petrol and torched her while she was going to Rae Bareli court to meet her lawyer.
Superintendent of police, Unnao, Vikrant Vir, also confirmed the forensic findings, but said a detailed analysis of the autopsy report is awaited. Police had taken DNA samples of the five accused - Shubham, Shivam, Harishankar, Umesh and Ramkishore - immediately after their arrest.
"We preserved the rape victim's belongings, including her clothes, scarf, cellphone, purse and bottle to match DNA samples of the five accused," said Vir. The forensic report states hair strands, finger nail marks on victim's purse matched with their DNA. The cellphone touch also confirmed the DNA findings, said the officer. This evidence will help establish the presence of the five accused at the spot and their motive.
Unnao police already filed the chargesheet against the five, who have been booked for murder, rioting, rioting with deadly weapons and wrongful confinement in the first week of January.
DNA report will bolster case: SP
The SP also said the DNA report will bolster the case and help in quick conviction.
Vir also said police had initially based the case on the dying declaration of the victim, which testified the presence of the five accused at the spot. Preliminary probe too suggested their role in setting her ablaze.
The girl, who suffered over 90% burns, was first shifted to civil hospital in Lucknow and then airlifted to Delhi where she died.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)