17-year-old gangraped inside moving bus: Driver, conductor hired without police verification, say police

On August 4, the girl was allegedly raped after she boarded the bus at Pari Chowk in Greater Noida. The bus then travelled nearly 47 km to Old Delhi’s Kashmere Gate without being stopped at any police picket.

The accused — bus driver Kuldeep (39) and conductor Sandeep (26), both hailing from Kanpur — were arrested within four hours of the incident, police have said.

The 17-year-old, who had travelled from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh, was trying to reach a relative’s house in Noida. She was unfamiliar with the area and was waiting at Pari Chowk in the rain when the bus stopped near her.

The bus on which the girl was allegedly raped while it drove from Greater Noida to Delhi.

According to her statement to the police, she told the men inside the bus that she wanted to go to Noida. When told that the bus was headed in that direction, she boarded it. Soon, however, when she realised that there were no other passengers in the bus, she tried to get off. However, the conductor allegedly pulled her back inside.

The alleged sexual assault took place as the bus moved towards Delhi, the probe has found.

Further, the probe has found that there were 11 pending traffic challans against the bus. These included violations related to retroreflective tape and speed limit devices, driving without a permit or violating permit conditions and prescribed speed limits.

Seven of the challans were issued in July — on July 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11 and 23.

Also, the CCTV camera inside the bus was not working. Heavy curtains covered the windows, restricting the view from outside.

The bus travelled through the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and the Ring Road corridor, passing through or near the Chilla border, Mayur Vihar and Geeta Colony. Despite this, it was not stopped for a safety or compliance check and no alert was raised during the journey, police have said.

Investigators are now checking whether the bus had GPS or another vehicle-tracking system and panic buttons, and whether these were functional at the time.

Police have also sent biological samples, including semen and hair strands collected from the bus, to the Forensic Science Laboratory. They have sought an expedited report as they prepare the case for a fast-track court, sources have said.