Robbery case: Accused deny presence in bus, claim innocence

Two of the four death row convicts in the December 16 gangrape case, who are also facing trial for allegedly robbing a carpenter on that day, claimed before a Delhi court today that they had not beaten up or robbed him in the bus as they were not in the vehicle.
According to police, Ram Adhar, a carpenter, was lured into the bus and robbed by six persons before they had gangraped a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus here.
Appearing as a prosecution witness, Ramadhar had identified the four accused present in the court as those who had robbed and assaulted him on the December 16, 2012 night.

However, accused Vinay Sharma, who was recording his statement before Additional Sessions Judge Daya Prakash, said he had gone to a music event organised by the Church in the DDA district park at Hauz Khas in south Delhi and co-accused Pawan was also present there.
"On December 16, 2012 at 8:30 PM, I alongwith family and friends went to a musical programme organised by a church.... There he had videographed the programme in his mobile phone," Vinay said, adding that he was picked from his house and the police has falsely implicated him in the roberry case.
The same was the plea of Akshay Thakur who said that he was not in the bus and had left for his village in Bihar, a day prior to the incident.

"I left Delhi on December 15, 2012 at 12:10 PM from 8 number platform of New Delhi railway station to Anugarah Narayan railway station in Bihar by Mahabodhi Express...," Akshay said in his statement.

After the two recorded their statement, their advocate A P Singh informed the court that he will bring some witnesses in the case.
The court has now fixed March 15 for recording of the statement of other two accused.
During the trial, the court had recorded the statements of 37 prosecution witnesses, including the carpenter.