Oz court defers bail pleas of 2 Punjabis accused of rape
Wednesday, 23/10/2013
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131023/punjab.htm#12
Melbourne : The bail pleas of two Indian-origin men from Punjab charged of abducting, raping and blackmailing a Canberra woman was today deferred by an Australian court.
Ajitpal Singh (31) and Randhir Singh (20) appeared in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) magistrate's court on charges of rape, abduction, unlawful confinement, and committing acts of indecency and pleaded not guilty.
The duo applied for bail, but Magistrate Peter Dingwall deferred the request until the men's immigration status could be confirmed. The court heard a third man had fled the country back to India earlier this month.
The two allegedly used a dating app to lure the woman into meeting them at the Kippax shopping centre in Holt suburb, according to an ABC report.
It was said that the victim who was from Canberra was also once threatened by the accused who told her that they were aware of her son's school before driving her to an apartment where they repeatedly assaulted and raped her.
The woman told police she had no idea how the men found out her private details, but that she thought she recognised one of the men after they followed her onto a bus at an earlier date.
ACT police said the case was an example of the perils of social media applications. Both men are being held in Canberra's jail while concerns over their immigration status are resolved. The next hearing of the case will be next week.
