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Kanpur minor ‘gangrape’: Accused S-I remains at large, hunt on
Days after a 14-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and gang-raped in a moving SUV by a sub-inspector and his aide—a local YouTuber— in Sachendi area of Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, police are still searching for the sub-inspector (S-I) who remains untraceable
Days after a 14-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and gang-raped in a moving SUV by a sub-inspector and his aide—a local YouTuber— in Sachendi area of Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, police are still searching for the sub-inspector (S-I) who remains untraceable.
The delay in arresting the accused S-I has sharpened questions about institutional response in a case that has already led to suspensions and transfers. The alleged gangrape was committed on the night of January 5 (Monday).
According to the FIR lodged on Wednesday and the survivor’s statement, the minor had stepped out of her house late at night when she was intercepted by a local YouTuber, Shivbaran, and sub-inspector Amit Maurya, the then in-charge of the Bhimsen police outpost. Maurya had been transferred from the post just two days earlier.
While Shivbaran was arrested the same night, Amit Maurya was on the run, police said. The survivor has alleged that she was taken in the SUV near a railway line and sexually assaulted. She has told investigators that one of the men was in police uniform and threatened her with dire consequences if she spoke about the incident, including being falsely implicated and sent to jail. After she managed to return home, her family contacted the police.
Her family alleges that when they were taken to the Bhimsen outpost, police personnel attempted to deflect the complaint after learning that a serving officer was involved. The survivor’s character was questioned, the family alleged, and they were made to move between the outpost and Sachendi police station through the night. According to them, the written complaint was altered multiple times, with repeated attempts to remove references to the sub-inspector.
An FIR was registered only the next day, after the matter reached senior officers. Even then, it was initially lodged against two unidentified persons under kidnapping and rape sections, without invoking provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. During this period, the police also released a short video of the interrogation of Shivbaran, a move that drew criticism for prejudicing the investigation.
However, the accused sub-inspector was not taken into custody despite clear directions from the commissioner of police to detain and question him. Police sources concede that the delay allowed the accused cop to flee. His mobile location has since been traced to districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Deputy commissioner of police (West) Qasim Abidi said technical and circumstantial evidence links the sub-inspector to the crime. “His mobile location was found near the spot. CCTV footage shows all three together. There was contact between the survivor and the accused after the incident. Teams are conducting raids,” Abidi said.
The case has triggered high-level administrative action, with police commissioner Raghubir Lal removing DCP Dinesh Chandra Tripathi and suspending Sachendi station house officer Vikram Singh for alleged lapses and distortion of facts.
The survivor’s statement has now been recorded before a magistrate. Police officials said additional legal provisions, including relevant sections under the POCSO Act, are being examined. Four teams remain deployed to arrest the absconding S-I.
