Bulandshahr gang rape: Three arrested, hunt for others, says police

Bulandshahr (Uttar Pradesh), Aug 1 (IANS) Three suspects, arrested in the sensational Bulandshahr gang rape case, were produced before a court here which sent them to 14 days judicial custody and a hunt was on for the other accused, police said on Monday, even as the victims narrated their night of horror and the "unhelpful attitude" of police.

The three suspects were identified as Shawed, a resident of Dehpa, Hapur, Rahees, a resident of Sutari, Bulandshahr and Jabar Singh, a resident of Noida.

"We are in hunt of other criminals whom the criminals, during interrogation, revealed their role," said Deputy Inspector General of Police, Meerut, Laxmi Singh.

The sensational crime, that has sparked off attacks on the state's Akhilesh Yadav government on the law and order situation, occurred near Dastampur village on National Highway-91 (Delhi-Kanpur) on Saturday night, when a gang of eight criminals stopped the car in which a family from Ghaziabad's Khoda locality to their village for some rituals following a death, robbed them and raped a woman and her daughter.

The criminals employed a unique ruse to stop the car, creating an obstacle that made it seem the car had a defect, and when the driver stopped to check, the gang members burst out and held the family at gun-point.

While one of the eight criminals put the pistol at the driver's head and took the all male members to a sugarcane field where they were kept restrained, the other accomplices took the two women - a 39-year-old and her 13-year-old daughter - to the other side and gang raped them.

The distraught father said his daughter kept crying out for help and repeating his name but he could do nothing, since he was being held at gun point.

They victims saw a police patrol vehicle pass through the highway but could not shout for help due to the presence of the armed criminals.

The victims phoned police on the 100 number four times but got no response, and finally phoned their friend in Noida who contacted Bulandshahr's Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishna and provided his number to them. They got through to him and told him the sordid story, but it still took half-an-hour before a police team reached the spot.

The victims told this reporter they walked to the police station after covering over 5 to 6 km but police's response remained apathetic. The women were not given a proper medical treatment and there was no provision of counsellors.

Police remained unhelpful throughout the entire process of legal formalities, added one of victims.

Next day when the news was flashed in the media, Director General of Police Javed Ahmad and Principal Secretary, Home Devashish Panda rushed the crime spot and started a damage control measures.

Subsequently, police had face the wrath of the public which tried to assault the criminals.