A 20-year-old Noida woman’s kin on Sunday protested at Noida sector 49 police station alleging she was gang-raped and assaulted by two male friends on Friday, resulting in her death.
The woman had gone to Mathura with the suspects and another person from Noida. At around 9pm, she suffered injuries in an accident, her friends claimed. She died during treatment at a Delhi hospital on Sunday morning. Police said they cannot confirm sexual assault as they are yet to receive the autopsy report.
The victim worked in a private company in sector 68, Noida and lived in a nearby village. The suspects were identified as her co-worker 20-year-old Deepa, Deepa’s brother 22-year-old Shyam, and their common friend 21-year-old Sachin. Sachin is a resident of Sarfabad village while the other two live in Gadhi village in Noida.
The victim was the eldest among four siblings. Her family said she was also pursuing BA programme through distance learning. Her father works as a driver in Noida.
In the police complaint, the father said that his daughter used to return home normally by 5pm.
“On Friday, she did not return. Her phone was not reachable. We received a call from her friend – Deepa – who told us about the accident near Naujhil,” he said.
The family later learnt that she was admitted in Kailash Hospital in Jewar.
“We reached the hospital and felt that this was not an accident. It appeared she was raped and brutally thrashed. We then shifted her to GTB Hospital in Delhi, where she succumbed to injuries on Sunday 6 am,” her father said.
The victim’s uncle said her marriage was fixed for February 27. The family members along with around 50 local residents protested at sector 49 police station demanding FIR against the three suspects.
Noida Police in the evening held a press conference. Sankalp Sharma, deputy commissioner of police (Zone 1) said that based on complaint a case has been registered under Section 376-D (gang-rape) and Section 302 (murder) of IPC. “We talked to the expressway toll plaza employees and also the doctors at Kailash Hospital over the incident. Prima facie, the hospital informed that she suffered fractures in both femurs, and head injuries,” Sharma said.
Sharma said police also questioned the three suspects. “They said that they had gone to Mathura on two motorcycles. On return, they stopped on the expressway. The victim was standing on the road when a speeding car hit her,” DCP said. The accused persons told police that they called an ambulance and admitted her to Kailash Hospital.
Ravindra Singh, Kailash Hospital Jewar administrator, said that the victim had suffered critical injuries. “The issue of sexual assault did not come to our knowledge,” he said.
