In a fresh development in the case of alleged rape of two Dutch women, a bail plea has been filed in a court here on behalf of accused Yasir Altaf claiming that he had consensual relationship with one of them.
To substantiate his claim, Altaf, who has been in judicial custody since June 26, shared some alleged "intimate e-mails and photographs" with the complainant.
Presenting his case before the Additional Sessions Judge, Altaf's counsel Sufian Siddiqui argued that his client had been "falsely implicated" and police had acted without following the basic procedure of verifying the claims of the complainant.
"In fact, the complainant is just trying to take advantage of being a foreign national and trying to extort money from the applicant (Altaf)," Siddiqui claimed in a written submission. The order has been reserved for tomorrow.
The Kashmiri youth was arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged by one of the victims at Connaught Place police station. The women had alleged that Altaf and one of his associates, posing as tourist guides, raped them several times in last five months and also robbed them of their money.
The complainant had claimed that they were horrified and succumbed to the men as they had taken their passports and were threatening to put them in trouble.
"That at the very outset to unfurl the conspectus of this case, it is most humbly submitted that there is a deep intimacy between the complainant and the applicant for the last about six months unabated till the lodging of the present FIR against the applicant.
"It was due to this sheer intimacy that the complainant used to send various e-mails to the applicant showing her deep love and affection towards the applicant and also her future plans about the relationship between them," Siddqui said and presented copies of the purported e-mails.
The counsel claimed that a perusal of the e-mails sent by the woman to Altaf would point out that the complainant was all along in "harmonious relationship" with the applicant, she had nowhere alleged sexual abuse under pressure of retaining passport and that she was not cheated or extorted.
On the contrary, the Dutch woman "has expressed her happiness about the cherished moments spent in Kashmir with the applicant," the counsel argued.
The counsel also claimed that the Dutch woman had called Altaf to Thailand in March 2010. He also submitted the passport copies and some e-mails besides photographs allegedly mailed by the complainant to Altaf from her Holland residence.
He also drew the attention of the court to purported e-mails received by Altaf from the complainant inviting him to come to Holland. "On March 10, 2010 email sent by her, it can be concluded that the complainant was willing to enter into matrimonial alliance with Altaf," the counsel claimed.
