Over a week after a teenage girl in Kanpur was allegedly kidnapped and raped by a police sub-inspector (SI) and a YouTuber, her family alleged they have been receiving threats from the police officer’s associates.
“Ever since the incident, my sister has refused to step out of the house. She is not speaking to anyone,” said the girl’s 19-year-old brother, who is the complainant in the case.
“Every day, some video, letter or audio clip is circulated on social media claiming that the sub-inspector is innocent and has been falsely framed. False allegations were levelled and attempts made to implicate us… When this failed, the sub-inspector, through his associates, began threatening us,” he alleged.
The SI, Amit Kumar Maurya, remains on the run. The other accused, Shiv Baran, who claims to be a YouTuber, was arrested last week.
On Tuesday, the brother told the police that he received a phone call, threatening him for naming the SI and warning him against pursuing the case.
Acting on his complaint, police traced the call to neighbouring Sitapur district and detained the alleged caller, Amit Trivedi (30). “We caught Trivedi and are questioning him,” said Kanpur Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) S M Qasim Abidi.
Police said Trivedi does odd jobs. During questioning, police said he claimed he made the phone call to “convince” the family not to implicate a person whose name begins with Amit. Police said they are examining this claim. Police said, prima facie, they have not found any evidence suggesting a link between Maurya and Trivedi.
The incident took place on the night of January 5. The girl, in her statement, had said she stepped out of her house to relieve herself when she was dragged into a black SUV. There were two men inside, the one at the wheel was in police uniform, she stated.
Even as she raised an alarm, the vehicle was driven to a secluded area near the railway tracks. She was allegedly gangraped by the two, who detained her inside the SUV for more than half-an-hour. They then took her back to the spot from where she was abducted and threw her out of the vehicle, she alleged.
The brother, in his complaint, said when his sister did not return until late evening, they began searching for her. She managed to get home around midnight and told them what happened.
When the FIR was lodged on January 6, the family had claimed it did not mention the man in a police uniform; POCSO Act charges were also missing.
They claimed that when they contacted Station House Officer (SHO) Vikram Singh and raised their concerns, he allegedly misbehaved with them and used objectionable language aimed at the minor’s character. He shouted that the charges would be added if the allegations were found to be true in the investigation, her brother alleged.
The siblings further claimed to have tried meeting senior officials, but failed. They alleged that it was only after they raised the matter in a video, posted it on a social media platform, and it went viral that the police took cognisance.
Sections of the POCSO Act were added to the FIR, which, police said, was initially lodged under charges of abduction and gangrape against unidentified persons. Police also said action was taken against SHO Singh.
DCP Abidi said a Rs 50,000 reward has been announced for information leading to the arrest of Maurya, who is from the 2023-batch, and raids are being carried out to trace him.
Police personnel have also been deployed outside the victim’s house as a security measure.
Her brother, meanwhile, said nothing will stop him from pursuing the case.
“Our father is paralysed and our mother passed away last year…,” said her brother. “My sister is the youngest of four siblings.”
He said he works with a private firm in Tamil Nadu and has had to stay away from the job. “I have been writing to senior authorities… Despite the hardship, I’ll ensure SI Amit Kumar is brought to justice for what he did to my sister.”
Acting on his complaint, police traced the call to neighbouring Sitapur district and arrested the alleged caller, Amit Trivedi (30). (File Photo) 
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