New Delhi: A 16-year-old Class 11 student from Uttar Pradesh was gang-raped by a sleeper bus driver and conductor after she was offered a lift to Noida, police said. The incident reportedly took place on the night of August 4, following which both accused were arrested and the bus was seized for forensic examination.
According to police, the girl, a resident of Mainpuri district, had left her home without informing her family and was travelling to Noida to visit her cousin. Amid heavy rain and poor visibility, she accidentally reached Pari Chowk in Greater Noida.
Police said the girl signalled to an empty sleeper bus passing through the area. The driver, identified as Kuldeep, and conductor Sandeep allegedly told her that they were travelling towards Noida Sector 63 and offered to drop her there.
The girl alleged that after the bus started moving, the conductor made obscene gestures towards her. She further alleged that both men subsequently sexually assaulted her inside the bus and threatened to kill her if she resisted.
The accused allegedly dropped the girl on Ring Road near the Kashmere Gate ISBT in Old Delhi later that night and fled. She subsequently approached the Kashmere Gate police station and reported the incident.
Following the complaint, police traced and arrested Kuldeep and Sandeep from a bus parking lot in Timarpur, north Delhi. The sleeper bus was also seized and sent for forensic examination as part of the ongoing investigation.
Police sources said the bus had earlier developed a mechanical fault and had been taken to a workshop in Surajpur, Greater Noida, for repairs. After the repairs were completed, the accused were reportedly taking the empty bus back to Timarpur when they encountered the girl at Pari Chowk.
The bus travelled approximately 47 kilometres from Pari Chowk to Kashmere Gate. Police also noted that the sleeper bus had curtains that restricted visibility from outside, a factor being examined as part of the investigation.
The allegations are being investigated, and further details are expected to emerge as police examine forensic evidence and other aspects of the case.
