Police searching for 'dustbin' clue in rape case against Delhi Minister

New Delhi, Sep 8  Delhi Police on Thursday told the court that it is searching for the dustbin where sacked AAP Minister Sandeep Kumar has thrown a recording device used for making a sex video featuring him.

The police submission came while seeking extension of police custody remand of Kumar.

During in-camera proceedings, Special Judge Poonam Chaudhary remanded Kumar to one day police custody after he presented before her the expiry of his three-day police custody.

According to court sources, Delhi Police has sought custody of Kumar on the ground that during investigation it was revealed that Kumar has dumped the mobile phone and other device used for making the "objectionable video" in a dustbin, and it has to be recovered. 

Public Prosecutor Balbir Singh said that Kumar was not cooperating in the probe and the probe agency has to recover the original electronic device used for making the sex video.

However, the police plea was opposed by Kumar's defence counsel Pradeep Rana who submitted that the police had not done any substantial investigation in the past four days and has not been able to find out the source of the alleged video yet.

He also said that seeking extension of custody for recovery of an old video does not hold strong ground.

Kumar is being quizzed 19 hours every day but police has failed to recover the alleged recording source, he said.

The former Social Welfare and Women and Child Development Minister in the Delhi government was arrested last week after a woman approached Sultanpuri police station in north Delhi with a complaint of sexual harassment against him, following which a case was filed.

Kumar was booked under Sections 376 (punishment for rape) and 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, with intent to commit an offence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

He was also charged under the Information Technology Act's Section 67A (punishment for publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act in electronic form).

The woman had alleged in her complaint that she was sexually harassed by Kumar at his office-cum-residence in Sultanpuri area where she had gone to get her ration card made.

She had also alleged that Kumar had offered her a spiked cold drink following which she could not recall what exactly happened with her and how she had acted.

A Delhi Police team on Sunday visited the same house where the woman had alleged she was raped.

Kumar was sacked after the alleged "sex video" involving him became viral.

He later defended himself, saying he had resigned on his own and claimed that he had been targeted because he was a Dalit.