Police have seized the bus for forensic examination as the investigation into the alleged assault continues.
A 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped inside an empty sleeper bus in Greater Noida before being abandoned near Delhi’s Kashmere Gate, according to police. Two men, identified as the bus driver and conductor, have been arrested in connection with the alleged assault.
The incident reportedly took place on August 4 near Pari Chowk in Greater Noida. According to the teenager’s complaint, she boarded the sleeper bus while looking for transport to Noida Sector 63, where her cousin lives. Police said she alleged that the two men sexually assaulted her after the bus began moving and threatened to kill her if she resisted.
The accused have been identified as Kuldeep, the driver, and Sandeep, the conductor. Police said both men were arrested from a parking area in Timarpur on the same day.
How the alleged incident unfolded
According to the police account, the teenager is from Mainpuri district in Uttar Pradesh and had left home without informing her family after being reprimanded by her mother over her studies. She was travelling towards Noida Sector 63 to stay with her cousin.
The girl reportedly got off at Pari Chowk during heavy rain and darkness. While searching for another vehicle, she stopped a sleeper bus. Police said the bus appeared to be empty at the time.
The conductor allegedly told her that the bus was travelling towards Noida Sector 63, following which she boarded the vehicle.
Investigators later found that the bus was actually returning empty after undergoing repairs at a workshop in Surajpur, according to police.
Police said the teenager alleged that the conductor began behaving inappropriately shortly after the bus started moving. She further alleged that both men subsequently sexually assaulted her.
The accused allegedly threatened her with serious consequences if she resisted, according to her complaint.
Teenager allegedly abandoned near Kashmere Gate.
After the alleged assault, police said the two men abandoned the teenager near Ring Road in the Kashmere Gate area of Delhi before fleeing.
The girl subsequently approached the police, prompting an investigation into the incident.
The police investigation is now focused on establishing what happened inside the bus and reconstructing its movements during the relevant period.
The bus has been seized and sent for forensic examination. Investigators are also examining CCTV footage from the route to establish where the vehicle travelled and to corroborate the sequence of events described in the complaint.
Two accused arrested
Police identified the two arrested men as Kuldeep, who worked as the bus driver, and Sandeep, the conductor.
Both were arrested from a parking area in Timarpur on August 4, according to officials.
The two men have been booked under provisions relating to gang rape, kidnapping and assault.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations against the accused will be subject to the judicial process.
Forensic and CCTV evidence under examination
Investigators have seized the sleeper bus as a key piece of evidence and sent it for forensic examination. Such examination is expected to form part of the effort to establish whether physical or other evidence inside the vehicle supports the teenager’s account.
Police are also reviewing CCTV footage from locations along the bus’s suspected route. The footage could help establish the vehicle’s movements, identify relevant stops and determine the timeline between the teenager boarding the bus and being abandoned in Delhi.
The investigation will therefore rely on both the teenager’s complaint and available physical and electronic evidence to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged crime.
Investigation continues
The case has raised serious concerns because the alleged assault involved a minor and reportedly occurred after she boarded a vehicle believing it was travelling towards her intended destination.
Police have arrested both men named in the complaint and are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault, the movement of the bus and the events that followed.
The bus remains in police custody for forensic examination, while CCTV footage and other evidence are being examined as investigators work to establish the complete sequence of events.
Source: Gulf News
