The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Chandigarh Police on Wednesday arrested the third male accused in the Nari Niketan rape case. Vijender, an attendant at the Nari Niketan for the last three years, has been arrested for allegedly raping a 19-year-old mentally challenged inmate of the institute.

The police had earlier arrested two men and a woman, all employees of the Nari Niketan, for their alleged involvement in the crime. The chargesheet in the case has already been submitted in court.

Based on the statements of the victim and the circumstantial evidence, the police narrowed down on the third accused and arrested him from the Sector-26 home late on Wednesday evening. A resident of Sector 56, Vijender will be produced in the court on Thursday.

The rape victim is now more confident in her statements and is able to recall the names and faces of the accused more clearly, the police said. “Since the initial stage of our investigations, the name of the third accused was cropping up. The issue was being repeatedly stressed upon in the High Court too by the UT’s standing counsel. All the investigations pointed towards the involvement of Vijender in the crime as he was very much there when the girl had conceived in March,” said Uday Pal, investigating officer in the case.

“It has also came to light that Vijender too had raped the victim,” said UT SSP S S Srivastava.

The case had surfaced in April this year when the inmate was found pregnant.