16-Year-Old Gang-Raped Inside Sleeper Bus During 47-Km Ride From Greater Noida To Delhi; Driver, 2 Arrested

New Delhi: Two persons have been arrested in connection with the case where a 16-year-old student from Uttar Pradesh was allegedly subjected to a brutal gang-rape aboard a moving sleeper bus that travelled nearly 47 kilometres across the national capital region before the suspects abandoned her near a major transit terminal, police said.

The incident reportedly occurred on the night of August 4 in a sleeper bus in the Kashmere Gate area. The police have arrested the bus driver, Kuldeep, and the conductor, Sandeep, in connection with the case.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) North District Niharika Bhatt, the 17-year-old girl approached Kashmiri Gate police station on the night of August 4, and reported that she had been raped on a bus while travelling from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh to a relative's house in Sector 63, Noida.

She said she had boarded the bus seeking help while stranded in heavy rain, DCP North District said. "During questioning, it was revealed that she was travelling from Mainpuri, UP, to a relative's house in Sector 63, Noida. The rape occurred en route between Pari Chowk (Greater Noida) and Sector 63, Noida," Bhatt told ANI.

The complainant said that after the incident, the bus driver and conductor allegedly dropped the girl on Ring Road under the jurisdiction of Kashmiri Gate police station, away from the actual crime scene. "Recognising the sensitivity of the matter and adhering to the new criminal laws, without getting bogged down by jurisdictional issues, the Kashmiri Gate police station immediately arranged for the victim's medical examination and registered a case," the DCP added.

She further said that with the help of CCTV footage, police traced the bus and arrested both accused within a few hours. The teenager was produced before the Child Welfare Committee and, as per its directions, was handed over to her father. The investigation into the case is underway.

According to the victim, the driver and conductor subsequently raped her and threatened to kill her when she resisted. The accused dropped the victim off on the Ring Road near the Kashmere Gate bus terminal late at night and fled the scene.

A terrified student contacted the Kashmere Gate police and reported the entire incident. Police have arrested both accused individuals from a bus parking lot in Timarpur and seized the sleeper bus used in the crime, which is undergoing forensic examination.

According to police sources, the accused took the bus to a workshop in Surajpur for repairs following a mechanical breakdown.

Describing how the accused exploited the vehicle's curtained interior to conceal the crime during the late-night journey, the police informed that after the repairs were completed, the driver and conductor were driving the empty bus to Timarpur when they encountered the student at Pari Chowk.

The bus covered a distance of approximately 47 kilometres from Pari Chowk to Kashmere Gate. Since it was a sleeper bus equipped with curtains, passersby could not see inside.

Meanwhile, Delhi Assembly Leader of Opposition and AAP leader Atishi criticised the BJP government over the incident. She alleged that the government was able to take strict action in cases involving criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi but failed to prevent crimes against women and children.

"The UP Police, Delhi Police, UP government, and the Delhi government all belong to the BJP. The Lieutenant Governor is from the BJP, the MHA is controlled by the BJP, and the Prime Minister is from the BJP too. Is there any engine left that the BJP does not control?

The BJP government managed to track down a 15-year-old girl even from the depths of hell, who had hurled some abuses at PM Modi in a video, and they made her life miserable... The BJP government can exert its full might against someone who insults PM Modi, yet it cannot stop the rapes and violence being inflicted upon our daughters and children," the AAP leader said. 

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