No Headway in Bulandshahr Gangrape Case, Police Say Probe on Right Track

Nearly four days after the highway gangrape of a woman and her teenaged daughter on NH-91 last week, there seems to be no headway in the investigation even though Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had announced that the case would be cracked within 24 hours.

Questions have been raised by locals as to whether the three arrested men were really involved in Friday night's gory crime.

Bulandshahar SSP Anees Ansari put all those doubts to rest in a press conference on Tuesday and assured everyone that they were on the right track.

Meanwhile, on CM Yadav's instruction on Wednesday, IG Meerut Sujith Pandey has been asked to head the Bulandshahr case and PS Home/DGP has been directed to ensure speedy investigation and justice at the earliest.

Earlier, Bulandshahr MP Bhola Singh said the police arrested three persons in haste to fulfill the assurance of the CM Akhilesh Yadav.

Innocent people are being harassed by the police, he alleged, adding that the real culprits are being spared under political pressure.

The police had on Monday arrested three men who were presented before the local court, which sent them to 14 days in judicial custody in Bulandshahr jail.

The suspects have been identified as Shawed, a resident of Dehpa Hapur; Rahees, a resident of Sutari Bulandshahr; and Jabar Singh, a resident of Rabupura in Gautam Budh Nagar.

"We are looking for other culprits whose role in the crime has been revealed during investigation," Deputy Inspector General of Police Laxmi Singh said.

Meanwhile, the victims told IANS that the police was apathetic towards their plight and did not provide any medical treatment.

Neither were there any counsellors to deal with their trauma, the victims said. It was only when the crime was reported in the media that the police swung into action, they added.

(With inputs from IANS)