Kasganj gang rape: Eight arrested, jailed; hunt for two more on
The eight accused were produced before a local court in Kasganj on Monday, the ASP said. As a mandatory provision in such cases, DNA profiling of the accused was undertaken, he added.
Eight of the ten men accused of gang raping a minor girl in Kasganj on April 10 had been arrested and sent to jail, said additional superintendent of police (ASP) Rajesh Kumar Bharti on Monday. He added police teams were working to nab the two absconding accused.
The eight accused were produced before a local court in Kasganj on Monday, the ASP said. As a mandatory provision in such cases, DNA profiling of the accused was undertaken, he added.
The teenage girl was allegedly gang raped in broad daylight after the accused held one of her friends hostage, police said, adding the boy was assaulted, threatened and robbed of cash.
A case was registered at Kasganj police station on Saturday night against two named and 7-8 unidentified persons under sections 70(2) (gang rape), 308(5) (extortion), 126(2) (wrongful restrain), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and 303 (2) (theft) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Kasganj superintendent of police (SP) Ankita Sharma said on Sunday that the girl and her friend were alone in a farm area when the accused assaulted them.
As the survivor is a minor, sections 3 and 5 of the POCSO Act were also invoked in the FIR, Kasganj SP Ankita Sharma said, adding the eight men were caught within 12 hours of the case being registered.
Those arrested include Akhilesh Pratap Singh, Amit Kumar, Sonu, Ajay Kumar, Rinku, Saurabh, Brajesh Kumar and Sonu Kumar, the SP said. All the accused hail from villages near the crime scene.
Meanwhile, chief minister Yogi Adityanath issued directions to officials to provide financial relief to girl’s family and ensure strict action in the case. After the CM’s directions, the district magistrate and the SP went to her house and handed over a financial relief of ₹5 lakh to the family.
Meanwhile, condemning the alleged gang rape of the minor girl, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ajay Rai said a ‘jungle raj’ prevailed in the state.
“It seems that a jungle raj is prevailing in Uttar Pradesh... Nobody feels safe here,” Rai told this reporter over the phone on Monday. He alleged that one of the accused arrested by police in connection with the case had links with a leader of the ruling party in the state. Rai is expected to reach Kasganj on Tuesday and meet the aggrieved family the following day.
According to the complainant, the survivor and her friend had gone to the district supply office on April 10 to apply for a ration card. While returning home on a motorcycle, they stopped near a canal to eat. As they got on their motorcycle to leave, three-four accused appeared and began assaulting them.