Delhi Police are meticulously reconstructing the journey of a sleeper bus involved in the alleged gang-rape of a 16-year-old girl earlier this month, leveraging a combination of CCTV footage and the mobile phone location data of one of the accused. Investigators have also uncovered that the bus incurred eight traffic violations, predominantly for speeding, in Uttar Pradesh during July.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that one of the challans, issued in Hamirpur on July 23, was for Rs 23,000 for allegedly operating the bus without a valid permit. Additionally, five of the eight challans were issued in Mathura, contributing to a total penalty amount of Rs 54,000, according to police disclosures.
The bus in question was reportedly purchased in April and subsequently registered in Firozabad on April 28, as indicated by the ongoing investigation. Authorities are currently analysing CCTV footage acquired from various strategic locations, including Kashmere Gate, Timarpur parking, and Pari Chowk in Greater Noida. This visual evidence is crucial for recreating the bus’s movements on the night of August 4, the alleged date of the incident. Significantly, one camera captured the bus ascending the Hanuman Mandir flyover, a detail investigators believe will be instrumental in establishing its precise route.
The collected footage is being subjected to rigorous analysis alongside the location data derived from the mobile phone of one of the individuals apprehended in connection with the case. This integrated approach aims to map the bus’s trajectory and pinpoint any locations where it might have halted during its journey. A senior police official overseeing the investigation stated that this method is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the events that transpired.
Forensic examination is underway for the victim’s clothing, which allegedly shows stains of blood and semen. These samples are being sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for matching with the DNA profiles of the two accused: the bus driver, identified as Kuldeep, aged 39, and the conductor, Sandeep, aged 26. Both individuals are reportedly residents of Kanpur.
Police sources have indicated that preliminary findings suggest no thorough verification of the accused individuals was conducted by the bus operating company. The victim’s attire, the seat cover from the bus, and the CCTV footage are anticipated to serve as critical pieces of evidence in building the prosecution’s case.
The victim, a minor who had left her residence in Mainpuri after a dispute with her mother, had boarded the bus at Pari Chowk in Greater Noida. She reportedly relied on the conductor’s assurance that the bus would take her to Noida Sector 63, where her cousin resides. However, the bus was not operating on its regular passenger service route that night. It had been taken to a workshop in Surajpur, Greater Noida, for repairs after experiencing a technical malfunction. Subsequently, it was en route to Kashmere Gate for a painting job, according to information provided by the travel company that managed the bus.
Investigators allege that the two accused individuals picked up the girl around 9 p.m. and proceeded towards Kashmere Gate. During the course of the journey, they are accused of raping her inside the moving bus and issuing threats of dire consequences if she resisted. The girl was subsequently abandoned near Kashmere Gate and later made her way to the police station in an auto-rickshaw, where she reported the incident. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered by the Delhi Police, and a medical examination of the victim, which confirmed the occurrence of rape, was conducted, officials confirmed.
Utilising the available CCTV footage, police were able to trace the bus within a few hours of the report. The two accused, Kuldeep and Sandeep, were apprehended from a parking lot in Timarpur. The bus was impounded by the authorities, and the accused individuals underwent potency tests as part of the investigation. During forensic examination of the bus, strands of the victim’s hair were discovered inside the vehicle. Investigators are now meticulously examining the seat cover and other materials recovered from the bus for additional forensic evidence.
The bus was reportedly equipped with curtains around its sleeper berths, which allegedly provided a cover for the accused to conceal their actions from external observation. The travel company had previously stated that the bus’s internal CCTV cameras were not operational at the time, as the vehicle was undergoing renovation. Police are also focused on understanding how the bus travelled for several kilometres from Greater Noida towards Delhi without being intercepted, employing CCTV footage and technical data to establish a clear sequence of events.
The Delhi Commission for Women has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and has formally directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to initiate an expeditious investigation and submit an action-taken report within a seven-day timeframe. The gravity of this incident has drawn comparisons to the infamous Nirbhaya case, which involved the gang-rape of a young woman inside an off-duty private bus in Delhi in 2012. That case had ignited nationwide protests and led to significant amendments in India’s laws concerning sexual offences.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
