New Delhi: A 16-year-old girl was gang-raped inside an empty sleeper bus by its driver and conductor in Greater Noida earlier this month, police said Monday, adding that both accused have been arrested in connection with the case.
According to police, the incident took place near Pari Chowk August 4. The survivor alleged in her complaint that the two accused sexually assaulted her and threatened to kill her if she resisted. They later abandoned her near Kashmere Gate in Delhi.
The accused, identified as driver Kuldeep and conductor Sandeep, were arrested from a parking area in Timarpur on the same day.
Police have seized the bus and sent it for forensic examination. Investigators have also collected CCTV footage from the route taken by the bus as part of the probe. Police said the footage is being examined to establish the sequence of events and trace the movements of the vehicle.
The teenager is a resident of Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh. Police said she had left her home without informing her family after her mother reprimanded her over her studies. She was travelling to Noida Sector 63, where her cousin lives.
According to the girl’s statement to police, she mistakenly got down at Pari Chowk amid heavy rain and darkness. After realising that she had reached the wrong location, she tried to find another vehicle and eventually stopped the sleeper bus. Police said there were no passengers inside the bus at the time.
The conductor allegedly told the girl that the bus was heading towards NoidaSector 63, following which she boarded the vehicle. Police said the bus was actually returning empty after undergoing repairs at a workshop in Surajpur.
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The girl alleged that soon after the bus began moving, the conductor started behaving inappropriately towards her. She further alleged that both men then sexually assaulted her and threatened to kill her if she resisted.
After the assault, the two accused abandoned the girl near Ring Road in Delhi’s Kashmere Gate and fled from the spot. She subsequently approached the police and reported the incident, following which an investigation was launched.
Kuldeep and Sandeep have been booked under charges relating to gang rape, kidnapping and assault.
Police said the sleeper bus had curtains covering the individual berths, which may have provided privacy inside the vehicle during the alleged crime.
As part of the forensic investigation, teams recovered strands of the girl’s hair from inside the bus. The vehicle has been seized, and forensic examination is being conducted to collect further evidence that could support the investigation.
Further details are awaited.
