Picked up, gang-raped, abandoned: Delhi woman’s horror in moving bus; driver, conductor held

A 30-year-old woman was allegedly abducted and gang-raped inside a moving sleeper bus in northwest Delhi’s Rani Bagh area late Monday night, police said on Thursday, adding that the two accused have been arrested.

According to police, the woman, who works at a factory in Mangolpuri and lives with her family in Pitampura, was returning home after work when the incident took place near the B-block bus stand in the Saraswati Vihar area.

In her complaint, the woman said she had travelled part of the route in an e-rickshaw before continuing on foot. A sleeper bus stopped near the bus stand, and when she asked a man standing nearby for the time, he allegedly gestured for her to come closer before pulling her inside the bus.

The survivor alleged that two men sexually assaulted her inside the moving bus as it travelled several kilometres towards Nangloi. Police said the bus later stopped near Nangloi Metro station, where the accused abandoned her.

The woman then contacted police, who reached the spot shortly after. She underwent a medical examination at Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, following which an FIR was registered under charges of gang rape and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

Investigators have seized the Bihar-registered sleeper bus and are examining CCTV footage from along the route. Forensic teams were also called in to collect evidence from inside the vehicle, officers said.

A police officer said the bus windows were covered with curtains, making it difficult for outsiders to see inside.

The accused, identified as driver Umesh and conductor Ramendra, have been arrested and sent to judicial custody, police said.