Fingerprints Confirm Presence of Two Accused in Noida Bus Gang Rape Case
Forensic investigations have confirmed the presence of two accused men inside a moving sleeper bus where a 17-year-old girl was gang-raped on August 4 after boarding the vehicle at Pari Chowk in Noida, police officials confirmed.
According to investigators, fingerprint samples taken from the survivor and the two accused—identified as bus driver Kuldeep and conductor Sandeep—confirmed their presence inside the bus. Forensic sleuths also lifted evidence samples directly from the bus seats and the steering wheel.
Police stated that DNA evidence will serve as a critical component in building the case against the two men. The clothes worn by both Kuldeep and Sandeep at the time of the incident have been seized and forwarded for detailed laboratory examination. A detailed forensic report is currently awaited, and a special team has been constituted to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the crime.
Police inquiries revealed that the incident began on August 4 when the 17-year-old girl sought a lift at Pari Chowk in Noida. The conductor, Sandeep, engaged her in a conversation that lasted five to seven minutes. During the interaction, he learned that the teenager had left her home following a dispute and was trying to reach her cousin’s residence located in Noida’s Sector 63. Sandeep then misled the girl by claiming that the bus was travelling in that direction, prompting her to board the vehicle.
Shortly after she stepped inside, Sandeep raped the girl as the bus reached Bakhtawarpur Village, near Noida Sector 127 and Sector 128. After the initial assault, Sandeep took control of the steering wheel while the driver, Kuldeep, forced himself on the teenager.
Following the assault, the sleeper bus covered an unchecked distance of 26 kilometres before the duo dropped the victim at the Kashmere Gate bus stand.
Investigators further noted that the CCTV cameras installed inside the bus were not functional at the time of the incident. Additionally, thick curtains were installed across the bus windows, blocking any visibility into the interior from the outside.
