Cop accused of raping woman, jailed

PRAYAGRAJ : A 33-year-old GRP constable posted at Aligarh has been accused of befriending a young woman while on duty onboard the Netaji Express train under the guise of helping her and then taking her to a hotel in Prayagraj and raping her at gunpoint on May 10. On the complaint of the victim, an FIR has been registered at Prayagraj’s Khuldabad police station under relevant sections of IPC and the accused has been arrested and sent to jail on Saturday, police said. As per the complaint, the victim hails from Bihar and resides in New Delhi to prepare for competitive exams. She boar ded Netaji Express from Ghaziabad on May 9 and ran into GRP constable Lalit Kumar stationed at Aligarh but hailing from Firozabad district who was on escort duty on board the train.

The woman, also in her early thirties and having estranged relations with her husband, was befriended by the constable under the guise of helping her catch a connecting train to Bihar. On the morning of May 10, the duo reached Prayagraj junction station from where the constable took her to a hotel in Khuladabad locality and took a room. Later the girl left for Bihar. On May 13, she returned to Prayagraj and approached the GRP police station alleging that the constable had sexually assaulted her at gunpoint in the hotel. However, she was referred to Khuldabad police station to lodge a complaint where too her complaint was not lodged. However after she approached senior police officials and they intervened, a named FIR against the accused GRP constable was registered on Saturday.

“A named FIR under section 376 (rape) of the IPC has been lodged on the complaint of the woman. The accused constable has been arrested near Khusrobagh park gate and sent to jail. Further investigations are underway,” said CO Satyendra Prasad Tiwari.