Minor gang-raped in Lucknow, two of 5 accused in police custody

Lucknow, Oct 12 (IANS) A 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by five unidentified men in Lucknow, and two accused in the case have been arrested, the police said on Sunday.

The officials said that the girl had left home around 12 p.m. on Saturday to visit her sister and was travelling on a motorcycle with an acquaintance.

The two stopped near a mango orchard close to a petrol pump when five men approached them and beat the acquaintance. After this, the men raped the girl.

Speaking about the case, DCP South Nipun Agarwal told IANS, "Late on October 11, the Banthra Police received information that a girl had been raped by some men. Immediately, based on a complaint from the victim's father, a FIR was registered against the named accused, and a team was formed to apprehend them."

"Late Saturday night, one of our teams was conducting a check near Harauni railway station, when two persons riding a bike were asked to stop but they (suspects) opened fire. In defence, the police also opened fire, and one of the accused was shot in the leg. He is injured and was taken to the hospital. During interrogation, he was identified as Lalit Kashyap, an accused in the above case. Kashyap said that he has also been to jail in the past in cases of gambling and theft," DCP South Agarwal said.

"One person has escaped from the spot. We are trying to arrest him. The combing operation is continuing. Our second team has arrested 20-year-old Miraj, the second-named accused in this incident, a little distance away near the railway station. We are taking further action in this matter," he added.

DCP Agarwal announced that a motorcycle was recovered from the location, along with a country-made pistol belonging to the accused.

Currently, the police team is searching for three other individuals who are still at large and plans to arrest them soon.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati also condemned the incident and called on the government to take effective measures to prevent crime against women.

In a post on X, she said, "The incident of gang rape with a teenage girl in the Banthara area of the capital Lucknow is extremely distressing and shameful. Incidents of women's harassment, along with rape and murder, etc., in various states of the country, including UP, show no signs of stopping."

"There is an urgent need for the government to take effective steps to prevent this. Forget about women's respect, women's safety is the first and utmost necessity," she added.

--IANS

sd/svn