A distressing incident shedding light on Islamist animosity towards non-believers (kafirs) surfaced in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. In this case, Islamists allegedly gang-raped a Hindu woman solely due to her religious identity, while the Muslim couple along with her were spared, a report published in Organiser and authored by journalist Subhi Vishwakarma said.
The accused, Junaid and four others were apprehended by police after an encounter on December 2. Notably, one of the arrested individuals has connections to the Muslim couple with whom the victim was socialising, prompting law enforcement to investigate their potential involvement in the matter. The Muslim couple was present at the crime scene but did not take any action to protect the victim.
An FIR was filed in the matter at the Tronica City police station in the Ghaziabad district on November 30.
As per the police statement, the complainant detailed in her account that one of her female colleagues from Delhi, employed at the same toy factory, had recently purchased a new scooter just four days before the incident. To acquire proficiency in riding the scooter, the colleague invited her boyfriend, and the trio proceeded to a secluded area in Ghaziabad.
Following that, three unidentified individuals approached them at that location and gang-raped the woman.
“They came running towards me, seizing me before I could understand the situation. Despite my attempts to resist and raise an alarm, they forcibly took me behind the bushes. The three assailants took turns raping me. I cried out for help, but unfortunately, no one came to my rescue,” said the woman in her complaint.
थाना ट्रॉनिका सिटी क्षेत्र में एक युवती के साथ हुई घटना के सम्बन्ध में डीसीपी ग्रामीण जोन की वीडियो बाइट@Uppolice pic.twitter.com/XloH5TK1U6
— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE GHAZIABAD (@ghaziabadpolice) December 2, 2023
In her complaint, the victim made a startling revelation. She stated that the Muslim couple that took him to the secluded place were present at the spot throughout the incident, yet they displayed no signs of resistance or struggle to stop the perpetrators from gang-raping her. Responding to her account, the police charged all three suspects and filed a case against them.
The victim underwent a comprehensive medical examination. During the investigation, the woman identified one of the accused, who had a photo with her friend’s boyfriend. Subsequently, the police initiated a manhunt and successfully arrested all three suspects.
The accused, identified as Junaid, a resident of Khanpur, exchanged fire with a police team when asked to surrender near a forest area in his village. In the ensuing gunfire, he was wounded in the leg.
Reports indicate that while the couple was on a ride, the victim waited along a deserted road, engrossed in her phone. Junaid and two others initially confronted the couple, accusing them of inappropriate behaviour. After realising the couple was Muslim, the attackers shifted their focus to the other woman, a Hindu, waiting a few meters away. She was taken to the bushes nearby and gang-raped.
The assailants fled upon spotting an approaching car. The woman returned home with her friends and recounted her harrowing experience to her parents.
As per the police, the group consisted of five men. While three among them took turns to rape the woman, the remaining two subdued her friends and maintained a lookout on the road.
On December 4, the Ghaziabad police released a press note announcing the arrest of one of the accused, Imran, following an encounter, during which he sustained a leg injury. The prime accused, Junaid, was arrested a day earlier in a similar encounter, with a recovered firearm in his possession.
स्वाट टीम ग्रामीण एवं थाना ट्रोनिका सिटी पुलिस द्वारा दि0 30.11.23 को थाना ट्रोनिका सिटी क्षेत्रान्तर्गत युवती के साथ हुई गैंगरेप की घटना का अनावरण, पुलिस मुठभेड़ मे 2 अभियुक्त गोली लगने से घायल कुल 5 अभियुक्त गिरफ्तार,कब्जे से घटना मे प्रयुक्त 02 तमंचे, जिंदा व खोखा कारतुस बरामद pic.twitter.com/JlrfPrGfRZ
— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE GHAZIABAD (@ghaziabadpolice) December 4, 2023
DCP (rural) Vivek Yadav stated that the police filed an FIR under Section 376D (gang rape) of the IPC and commenced a review of CCTV footage to identify the accused. The woman positively identified some of the accused from video clips.
Acting on a tip-off on Sunday evening, the police team located Junaid in a forested area in his village. Upon seeing the officers, he opened fire, resulting in a return of fire that wounded him in the leg. He received treatment at a hospital and is currently in stable condition.
