Justice Garainesu Mawadze has granted Krishna Satyanarayana Grandlur and Ravi Kumar Krishnan $1000 bail each after the prosecution admitted that the State’s case against the two was weak.
The High Court has gone further to order the release of the two Indian businessmen accused of raping a Harare woman at a city hotel. They were represented by Dumisani Mthombeni.
Prosecutor Peter Kachirika alleged that on June 16 Gandlur and Krishnan were booked in rooms 968 and 951, respectively, while the victim was in 969. The court heard that around midnight Gandlur invited the woman into his room for a drink and introduced her to Krishnan.
The two accused persons then ordered red wine and forced the complainant to drink some.
It was alleged that Gandlur attempted to kiss the woman but she resisted. The court heard that when she was drunk, Gandlur took advantage and forcibly had anal sexual intercourse with her.
When the woman woke up the following morning in her room she found herself wearing only a bra and her pants were on the floor. According to court papers, the woman’s sheets were blood-stained and she also found cigarettes on the side table.
The woman then narrated the ordeal to the hotel’s management before reporting the case to police officers who were at the scene. Gandlur was positively identified by the woman and immediately arrested. Krishnan was arrested later.