CCTV, Instagram Message: How UK Cops Caught Rape Convict Indian Student

CCTV footage showed Preet Vikal carrying the victim in his arms and later across his shoulders.

New Delhi:

Police officers carried out an extensive trawl of security camera footage, along with an Instagram message exchange with the victim, which helped them identify and arrest Indian-origin student, 20-year-old Preet Vikal, who later confessed to raping a woman he had met in a club last year. The victim bravely provided officers with an account of what happened, the police said.

“From the minute this was reported, we were absolutely 100 per cent committed to identifying the person responsible and bringing him to justice,” the police statement said, adding that enquires revealed inconsistencies with the accounts provided by the defendant. 

“It was this, along with the continued bravery of the victim, that ultimately led to him pleading guilty,” they said.

The UK police thanked those witnesses who came forward as a result of a public appeal for information and supported the investigation.

CCTV footage showed Preet Vikal carrying the victim in his arms and later across his shoulders. He came across the woman while she was on a night out with friends in Cardiff city centre. Vikal continued to carry her to a property in the North Road area, where she was raped.

Reports said after taking the woman home, Preet took a “trophy photograph” of her and sent it to his friends.

The victim has described being left shaken, being unable to sleep, and feeling a sense of guilt as a result of his actions.

The 20-year-old admitted the rape committed during the early hours of June 4, 2022.