Woman ‘raped’ during robbery at construction site
In a repeat of a recent incident in Murad Nagar in Ghaziabad, nearly 15 armed men allegedly robbed construction workers at Jalalabad and raped a 35-year-old woman late Friday
In a repeat of a recent incident in Murad Nagar in Ghaziabad, nearly 15 armed men allegedly robbed construction workers at Jalalabad and raped a 35-year-old woman late Friday , the police said. The incident took place at an under-construction college near Upper Ganga Canal.
Police said they have rounded up seven suspects from nearby Abupur, including a repeat offender. Senior officials said a similar incident took place two-and-a-half months ago at Hisali in Murad Nagar where dacoits robbed people and raped a 25-year-old woman.
“They came around midnight and said a village pradhan was murdered and that they were conducting an investigation. They tied the hands of the men and women and kept them in separate rooms. They took me to another room where cement was kept and one of them assaulted me, while two others held my hands,” the woman alleged .
The police said the families were able to identify seven suspects as the assailants were not wearing masks. These men were allegedly involved in an altercation with them on Friday afternoon.
“The men had gone there for hunting wild pigs and when the families resisted, they went back. Later, the same group, along with more men, arrived and robbed the workers of silver jewellery and their salaries that were distributed on Friday. The woman told us that the rapist was wearing an earring and had a beard. We have rounded up the suspect,” said RK Pandey, superintendent of police, Ghaziabad.
However, the man who allegedly raped the woman, identified as Praveen, claimed that he was at home with his wife at the time of the incident.
“Praveen was identified by the woman. All seven men have been arrested,” Pandey said.
“The incident is similar to the one at Hisali where the victim said the men arrived and said they wanted to inquire about a Pradhan’s murder. The rape victim, aged around 25 years, also said the suspect was wearing an earring and had a beard. We have called her to identify the man presently in police custody,” Pandey said.
“The two incidents took place on the night the workers’ salaries were distributed. In the present case, we have registered an FIR for dacoity and rape,” Pandey said.
Police said a similar incident also took place in Masuri 10 days ago, but no FIR was registered as the victim did not submit a complaint.