The family of arrested bus driver Kuldeep has alleged that he was falsely implicated in the alleged gang-rape of a 16-year-old girl inside a moving sleeper bus, linking his arrest to a personal dispute following the recent murder of his father.
Kuldeep and bus conductor Sandeep, the two main accused in the case, were arrested by Delhi Police from a bus parking facility in Timarpur in connection with the August 4 incident near the Kashmere Gate area.
Kuldeep's family has denied the allegations, saying he has no previous criminal record despite working as a driver for 10 to 15 years. They have appealed to the government to intervene in the case.
Family Alleges False Implication, Cite Personal Dispute
Kuldeep's mother alleged that her son was being framed and linked his arrest to the murder of her husband around two months ago.
"My child is completely innocent. He is being falsely implicated. My husband was murdered two months ago. I suspect the very same people have framed him... I appeal to the government with folded hands: please declare my son innocent. He has a family with very young children. We are poor people... If we had the means to reach out, we would go to Delhi," said the mother of the accused driver.
Kuldeep's wife also backed the claim, saying he had been driving for more than a decade and had no previous problems.
"About two or three months ago, my father-in-law was murdered, so he stayed here for a month then. After that, he drove the vehicle for ten or fifteen days, then stayed home again... He has been driving for ten or fifteen years... We have grown children... There has never been any trouble. He lives peacefully at home, too... He is being falsely implicated... My demand to the government is this: we have grown children, a sixteen-year-old daughter and an eleven-year-old son, and he wouldn't do something wrong," said the wife of the accused driver.
What Police Said On Alleged Assault
According to Delhi Police officials, the victim is a Class 11 student from Mainpuri district in Uttar Pradesh. She had left home following a family disagreement to visit a relative in Noida.
The girl reportedly got off at Pari Chowk by mistake amid heavy rain and darkness. An empty sleeper bus then stopped, and its crew allegedly allowed her to board, telling her that it was travelling towards Noida Sector-63.
Police said the conductor subsequently made obscene advances towards the girl. The driver and conductor allegedly gang-raped the minor inside the moving bus and threatened to kill her.
The bus travelled around 47 kilometres across the National Capital Region before the accused allegedly dropped the girl near the Ring Road adjacent to the Kashmere Gate terminal late at night and fled.
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After the victim reported the alleged assault to police, authorities traced the sleeper bus and seized it for forensic examination.
Delhi Police subsequently arrested Kuldeep and Sandeep from the bus parking facility in Timarpur.
(With inputs from news agency ANI)
Author : ABP Live News