Ahmedabad rape case: Security agency owner booked over expired licence, untrained guard

Ahmedabad, Aug 11 (IANS) The Ahmedabad Police have registered a separate case against the owner of a private security agency after their investigation into the alleged rape of a 23-year-old woman found that the accused guard had been deployed only four days after joining the agency and had allegedly received neither formal training nor police verification.

The accused, identified as Dharamsingh Rathod, was working for A-One Security Agency when he allegedly sexually assaulted the woman at a rented flat in the Jodhpur village area on August 8.

Anandnagar police arrested him on August 9 after an overnight search involving around 10 teams of multiple departments.

Police said their investigation into the guard’s appointment subsequently revealed that A-One Security Agency’s Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act (PASARA) licence had expired on April 5, 2026.

The agency had reportedly been operating since 2015, and its licence had been renewed in 2021 for five years, but no renewal process was initiated after it expired.

The agency’s owner, 50-year-old Ramprakash Tiwari, was questioned about the appointment of Dharamsingh and the agency’s licence.

Police said they found that the guard had been employed without security training or police verification and had not been issued a security identification card.

Anandnagar police have registered a case against Ramprakash Harishankar under Section 20(1) of the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005.

Further investigation into the agency’s operations is under way. According to the police investigation, Dharamsingh had joined the agency only four days before the alleged incident.

He was subsequently deployed at the residential complex where the woman was staying. Police said the alleged assault occurred on the night of August 8.

According to the sequence recorded in the investigation, the guard went to the terrace at around 9 p.m., while the woman came there at around 9:15 p.m. for a walk.

Police allege that he approached her, demanded a physical relationship and subsequently attacked her. He allegedly used a wire to strangle her and covered her mouth before sexually assaulting her.

Police said the accused left the terrace at around 10:25 p.m. after locking the door. The woman later raised an alarm, following which other residents came to the terrace and the police were informed.

Officers reached the location at around 11 p.m. and began examining the scene.

The case later took another turn during a recovery panchnama in Hebatpur, when police alleged that Dharamsingh attempted to escape custody and tried to snatch the service revolver of Police Inspector R S Parmar.

During the ensuing scuffle, Constable Virendrasinh was injured, and police fired two rounds, one of which struck Dharamsingh in the leg. Both were taken to hospital and were reported to be stable.

Police have said a separate case would be registered against Dharamsingh in connection with the alleged attempt to escape and seize the firearm, while the original rape investigation remains ongoing.

–IANS

mys/uk