A 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped inside a moving sleeper bus in Greater Noida earlier this month, following which police arrested the driver and conductor of the vehicle.
The accused have been identified as 39-year-old driver Kuldeep and 26-year-old conductor Sandeep. According to police, both were arrested from a parking lot in Timarpur, north Delhi. They had reportedly been working with a private travel company, Vishwanath Travels, for more than two years.
The incident took place on August 4 when the teenager, who was travelling from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh to Noida, got down near Pari Chowk in Greater Noida. It was around 9 pm, and heavy rain and darkness made it difficult for her to find transport to her cousin's home in Noida Sector 63, around 25 km away.
According to her complaint, an approaching sleeper bus stopped near her. The bus had no passengers and was equipped with berths covered by curtains. The conductor allegedly told her that the bus was also heading towards Sector 63, following which she boarded it.
Police said the bus was actually returning from a workshop in Surajpur, Greater Noida.
The teenager alleged that soon after the bus started moving, the conductor behaved inappropriately and sexually assaulted her. She further alleged that both men threatened to kill her if she resisted. The accused allegedly took advantage of the curtains around the sleeper berths to conceal the crime.
After the alleged assault, the girl was reportedly abandoned near Ring Road in the Kashmere Gate area of Delhi. She subsequently approached the police and filed a complaint, triggering an investigation.
Police teams examined the bus and collected forensic evidence. Investigators reportedly found strands of the girl's hair inside the vehicle and seized the bus for further examination. CCTV footage from the route travelled by the bus is also being collected as part of the investigation.
The case has drawn comparisons with the 2012 Nirbhaya case because of the alleged sexual assault inside a moving bus. The investigation is continuing, while the two arrested men are facing legal proceedings in connection with the case.
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