16-year-old student, who left home after mother's scolding over studies, gang-raped inside sleeper bus from Greater Noida's Pari Chowk to Delhi

A 16-year-old Class 11 student was allegedly gang-raped inside a moving sleeper bus after she boarded the vehicle at Greater Noida's Pari Chowk on a rainy night, police sources said. Delhi Police have arrested the bus driver and conductor in connection with the case and seized the vehicle for forensic examination.

The incident took place on the night of August 4, when the teenager was travelling from Uttar Pradesh to Noida to meet her cousin. She reportedly got down at Pari Chowk by mistake amid heavy rain and darkness.

According to the police, she was standing alone when she stopped an apparently empty sleeper bus and asked about its destination. The conductor allegedly told her that the bus was heading towards Noida Sector 63, where she wanted to go.


She boarded the bus. Police said the vehicle soon began moving towards Delhi. The girl has alleged that the conductor behaved inappropriately with her before he and the driver assaulted her. She also told investigators that the two men threatened her with serious consequences if she resisted.

The accused have been identified as driver Kuldeep and conductor Sandeep.

How the teenager ended up on the bus

The girl, who lives with her family in Mainpuri district, had left home without informing her family after being scolded by her mother over her studies, according to the account given to police.

She was travelling towards Noida to meet her cousin in Sector 63. Heavy rain and poor visibility reportedly led to her getting off at Pari Chowk, after which she began looking for a way to continue her journey.

The police investigation has found that the bus had earlier developed a technical problem. Kuldeep and Sandeep had reportedly taken it to a workshop in Surajpur, Greater Noida, for repairs.

After the vehicle was fixed, the two men were allegedly driving it towards a parking area in Timarpur in North Delhi. Police suspect that they noticed the teenager standing alone at Pari Chowk and offered to drop her at Sector 63.

Instead, the bus continued towards Delhi.

Police said the vehicle covered around 47 km before reaching the Kashmere Gate area. The teenager was allegedly abandoned near the Kashmere Gate bus station before the two accused continued towards Timarpur.

Police track suspects through CCTV footage

After being left on the roadside, the teenager approached Kashmere Gate police and reported the alleged assault.

Police arranged her medical examination and recorded her statement. An FIR was subsequently registered under provisions dealing with gang rape, kidnapping and assault.

Investigators formed a team under Kotwali ACP Shankar Banerjee and examined CCTV footage along the route to identify and track the bus.

The two suspects were eventually arrested from a parking area in Timarpur, police said.

The victim's family was called to Delhi following the incident. Female police personnel counselled the teenager, and she was later handed over to her family after the necessary formalities.

Police have also carried out potency tests on the two accused. A forensic team examined the bus and collected biological material and other evidence that could help establish what happened inside the vehicle.

The bus has been seized and sent for forensic examination.

Questions over safety of private buses

The case has also raised concerns over the enforcement of safety measures for commercial passenger vehicles operating at night.

Rules governing such buses require measures including verification of drivers and conductors, identification details and other safeguards intended to protect passengers. Commercial vehicles are also expected to have emergency and surveillance systems, including panic buttons and vehicle location tracking in applicable cases.

Investigators are also examining the use of heavy curtains inside the sleeper bus. Such curtains can significantly restrict visibility from outside, raising questions about whether passengers travelling alone can be adequately monitored in an emergency.

The alleged incident has inevitably revived memories of the 2012 Nirbhaya case in Delhi and renewed scrutiny of whether safety measures introduced after that tragedy are being properly implemented.

The investigation into the August 4 incident is continuing, with police relying on medical and forensic evidence, CCTV footage and the statements of those involved to establish the sequence of events.

(inputs from agencies)