Domestic help gang-raped by two men in moving car

Noida, April 9: The safety of women in Noida has once again come under the scanner after a 28-year-old woman was allegedly drugged and gang-raped in a moving car on Saturday and then dumped near Kalindi Kunj. Police said one accused has been arrested while the other is absconding with the car in which the victim was raped.

Noida police said, the victim, a native of Darjeeling, was gang-raped by two men while she was returning from her work around 8.30pm on Saturday. "The woman, a widow, lives in sector 93 in Noida and works as a domestic help in the Shramik Kunj apartments in the same area. On Saturday evening, while she was returning from work, the accused identified as Kunwar Pal and Sunder offered her a lift in their Santro car. After a short while, they gave her a drink laced with sedatives. She was then raped in the moving car for seven hours on various stretches of the city, including the expressway," said SSP Praveen Kumar, adding that the accused are probably known to the victim.

"The two men dropped the woman at an isolated place near Kalindi Kunj. When the Okhla Police noticed the woman, they called the Noida police," said a cop.

The Phase-II police have registered a case under section 376 (rape) of IPC against Kunwar Pal and Sunder. While Pal, a cement supplier, was arrested, Sunder is absconding with the Santro car. His location was traced to be in Delhi late Sunday evening.

The district police, however, claimed that the victim's statements have been contradicted by residents of Gheja villager, where the accused reside. Senior cops said villagers alleged that the two accused were being framed by a rival group with which they have an old dispute. "The victim's medical examination has confirmed rape, but a group of people from Gheja village came to us on behalf of the accused saying they were being falsely implicated by members of a rival group," the SSP said.

"We are investigating on both lines, on the implication angle as well as the circumstances described by the woman in her complaint," Kumar said, adding that the other accused would be arrested by night.