Noida: Father arrested for forging son's documents in rape-murder cover-up
What's the story
A 48-year-old man, Mohanlal, has been arrested in Noida for allegedly forging documents to get his son, accused in a 2016 rape and murder case, bail. The forged document, a Transfer Certificate (TC), falsely stated that his son was a minor at the time of the crime. This resulted in his son's trial being transferred to the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) and placement in a correction home.
Crime details
Details of the 2016 rape and murder case
The crime in question is the rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl on March 15, 2016, in Greater Noida. The accused, who is the victim's cousin, allegedly raped and murdered her at her rented house when she was alone. He was nabbed by Ecotech-3 police on the same day as he tried to flee from the crime scene.
Trial proceedings
Forged documents presented during age determination trial
During a trial to determine the suspect's age in October 2023, Mohanlal submitted documents stating his son was born on February 10, 2000. However, the victim's mother challenged this, claiming the accused's actual birth date was July 10, 1997. She submitted academic records to support her claim that he had graduated from an inter-college in Kanpur as a Class 12 student.
Legal proceedings
School principal's involvement and subsequent legal action
The JJB summoned Nathuram, a Kanpur Dehat school principal who had helped Mohanlal in preparing the fake TC. Nathuram verified the suspect's birth date as February 10, 2000, but couldn't produce attendance records/marksheets, saying they were "destroyed by termites." The board concluded Mohanlal and Nathuram had created fake documents to declare the suspect a juvenile. Subsequently, Mohanlal was booked under IPC sections 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), and Section 471 (using as genuine a forged document).