New Delhi- A 16-year-old Class 11 student was allegedly gang-raped in a moving sleeper bus in the Delhi-NCR region. Police have arrested the bus driver, Kuldeep, and conductor, Sandeep, and seized the vehicle used in the incident.

According to reports, the survivor is a resident of a village in Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh. She left home after being scolded by her mother over her studies and intended to reach her cousin’s house in Noida’s Sector 63. Heavy rain and darkness caused her to lose her way, and she got down at Pari Chowk in Greater Noida. There she stopped a sleeper bus and asked about going to Sector 63. The conductor allegedly told her the bus was headed that way, after which she boarded it.

Reports state that at that time the bus had no other passengers besides the driver and conductor. After the bus started moving, the conductor allegedly began making obscene advances. When the girl resisted, both accused allegedly gang-raped her. She told police they also threatened to kill her if she continued to oppose them.

The bus reportedly travelled about 47 kilometres from Pari Chowk to Kashmiri Gate in Delhi. Dark curtains on the windows made it difficult to see inside from outside. Questions have been raised about why the bus was not stopped at any police check or picket along this long stretch.

After reaching Delhi, the accused allegedly dropped the girl on Ring Road near Kashmiri Gate bus stand and drove away. She then reached Kashmiri Gate police station and narrated the entire incident. Police arranged her medical examination and recorded her statement.

Given the gravity of the case, police formed a special team. Using CCTV footage along the route and other technical evidence, investigators identified the bus. Driver Kuldeep and conductor Sandeep were arrested from a parking area in Timarpur, and the bus was taken into custody.

Some reports indicate the bus had developed a technical snag and had been taken for repairs to a workshop in Surajpur, Greater Noida. After repairs, the driver and conductor were taking it back to the Timarpur parking in North Delhi when the student boarded at Pari Chowk.

The incident has raised serious questions about the safety of women and minors in sleeper buses, particularly regarding curtains, CCTV cameras, GPS, panic buttons, and monitoring or checking along the route. Which of these safety features were actually present or missing in this particular bus can be confirmed only after the investigation is completed.