No CCTV footage: HC grants anticipatory bail to accused

Bhopal/Jabalpur: A vacation bench of MP High Court allowed anticipatory bail application of a co-accused in a kidnapping and rape case after Sagar police failed to produce CCTV footage of the car used in taking the survivor to Bhopal and then Indore, where she was allegedly raped by the second accused.The car belongs to the petitioner Mulam Singh Gond, who was allegedly driving when the girl was being taken after alleged kidnapping. Gond conceded that the other accused Sanju Patel had borrowed his car on the pretext of dropping his mother at Kevlari town but he was not in the car, let alone driving it.Mother of the allegedly kidnapped and raped girl lodged a complaint about her missing daughter on March 30, 2026. After being found on April 4, 2026, the survivor told police that Sanju Patel had taken her in a white car driven by the petitioner.

She was taken to Bhopal and later Indore where they stayed for five days and Sanju Patel raped her.The petitioner apprehending his arrest moved the sessions court for anticipatory bail but it was rejected. Counsel argued that if CCTV footage at relevant points showing the petitioner was driving the car is produced, his presence would be verified.After being given two chances on May 8 and May 15 to produce the CCTV footage and verification report, Sagar police failed to do it. The bench of Justice Ramkumar Choubey granted anticipatory bail to the accused.