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

The two men accused of allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl inside a moving bus had been hired without police verification. In fact, none of the drivers and conductors working for the private bus service had undergone police verification, The Indian Express has learnt.

Sources in the police said they are now questioning the operators of the service, which runs at least a dozen buses, about its hiring process and the lack of checks. The police are also allegedly looking at people who regularly dealt with the buses.

Representatives of a paint shop in Kashmere Gate and a repair shop in Greater Noida are likely to be questioned about what they had noticed about the vehicles and the two accused, sources said. 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. Recap | 47 km, ‘zero’ checks, Greater Noida to Old Delhi: 17-year-old’s bus rape horror 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.

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. 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.