16-year-old travelling to Noida allegedly gang-raped inside bus in Delhi, 2 held

A 16-year-old Class 11 student from Uttar Pradesh was allegedly gang-raped inside a sleeper bus in Delhi after she sought help from its driver and conductor during heavy rain, following which the two accused were arrested, police sources said.

The incident took place on August 4 when the girl, a resident of Mainpuri district, was travelling to Noida to meet her cousin.

According to police sources, the girl had left home after being upset over being scolded by her mother a day earlier. She boarded a bus bound for Noida Sector 63, where her cousin lives.

After reaching Noida, she mistakenly got off at Pari Chowk amid heavy rain and darkness and soon realised that she had alighted at the wrong location, the sources said.

She then spotted a bus approaching and signalled for help. The bus stopped, but there were no passengers inside. The conductor told her that they were headed towards Noida Sector 63, following which she boarded the sleeper bus, they said.

However, shortly after the bus began moving, the conductor allegedly made obscene advances towards her. The driver and conductor then allegedly raped the girl inside the bus and threatened to kill her if she resisted, according to the sources.

The accused later abandoned her near the Kashmere Gate bus terminal on Ring Road late at night and fled.

The girl approached Kashmere Gate police and reported the incident. She was assisted by the police and taken for a medical examination accompanied by a woman police personnel.

An FIR was subsequently registered on the basis of her statement under relevant provisions relating to gang rape, kidnapping and assault, the sources said.

Police teams examined CCTV footage and traced the bus and the conductor, who was arrested from a parking facility in Timarpur. The bus was seized and sent for forensic examination, while CCTV footage was also taken into possession as part of the investigation.

Police sources said the accused driver and conductor were returning with the empty bus after it had been repaired at a workshop in Surajpur. The bus had developed a mechanical problem and was taken to the workshop for repairs.

After the repairs were completed, the two were returning to the Timarpur parking facility when they encountered the girl at Pari Chowk, the sources said.

A police officer, requesting anonymity, said the route primarily runs along the Ring Road and highway, making frequent barricading difficult as it could lead to severe traffic congestion. Police personnel, however, are deployed near the Delhi border at the Noida entry point, the officer said.

"The police informed the girl's family about the incident the same night and called them to Delhi. Woman police personnel remained with her and provided assistance until her family arrived," the officer said.

After completing the necessary formalities, police handed the girl over to her family.

Sources said the police also conducted potency tests on the accused following the rape allegations. Forensic examination of the bus has been completed, and various pieces of evidence collected from it have been sent for further examination.

(With inputs from PTI)