Ajit Singh alias Jitaram Choudhury, the main accused in the Japanese tourist rape case, surrendered before the police on Friday morning after evading arrest for four days. He has since been arrested. The police had announced an award of Rs. 1 lakh on him.
Briefing reporter, D.C. Jain, Inspector General (Jaipur range) said Ajit Singh surrendered because he had run out of options as the police was close to arresting him, and all his associates had refused to shield him. Also, he had run out of money.
Mr. Jain said 12 teams had been fanned to various places across the country and one team was already positioned at Puducherry where he was intending to escape. However, he soon realized that police was conducting searches at various places and his relatives had been arrested.
Ajit Singh, a private guide, had sexually assaulted a 20-year-old Japanese tourist on Sunday night after befriending her in Jaipur. The next day he escaped to Delhi where he stayed in a guest house at Mahipalpur. He then bought a ticket to Chennai from where he intended to go to Puducherry. While on way he realized that being a small place it would be easier for police to track him down so he got down at Vijaywada from where he took a train to Agra.
He boarded a bus from Agra early on Friday morning and surrendered at Dudu police station where he was then taken into custody. Ajit Singh is being further questioned.
The police have already arrested seven persons, including his friends and relatives who had helped Ajit Singh during or after committing of the crime. They are Wahid, Abrar, Shivraj, Rajvir, Ramvir, Ravinder and Dharamvir.
Meanwhile, the city police have also launched a drive against ‘lapkas’ or unlicensed private guides and arrested 50 private guides.
