UP woman alleges rape after being forced into truck, one held in Pataudi

FIR filed under BNS as police search for second suspect; survivor lodged complaint on Saturday and teams traced accused to Khalilpur village.

An 18-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah has alleged that she was raped by two men who forced her into a truck and brought her to Khalilpur village in Pataudi on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, police said. One of the accused has been arrested, and an FIR under section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered, officials said.

Victim from Etawah says she was forced into vehicle and assaulted; investigation on as officers hunt second accused and verify sequence of events. (File Photo)

According to police, the woman was allegedly forced by two men to sit inside a truck from outside her residence in Etawah and was subjected to sexual harassment during the journey to Khalilpur village in Pataudi. A senior official at Pataudi police station said the woman submitted a written complaint on Saturday, after which a case was registered.

Officials withheld details of the exact location where the alleged crime took place, as it remains part of the ongoing investigation.

Preliminary investigation revealed the woman initially asked for a lift, however, later she refused to board the truck once it stopped. This allegedly angered the accused prompting them to apply force, officials said citing from the complaint.

“Our teams visited the nearby Khalilpur village, and one of the suspects was arrested at his residence, while the other managed to escape from the police,” said the senior police official, requesting anonymity.

Police identified the suspects as Lakshman (single name), 35, and Manoj (single name), 38, both residents of Khalilpur. “When placed under interrogation, Manoj revealed that he was accompanied by his associate and truck driver Lakshman during the drive from Etawah to Pataudi,” the senior police official added.

Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said the second suspect will be arrested soon. “Earlier on Sunday, Manoj was apprehended. The woman, who is originally from Etawah, will be reunited with her family,” Turan said.