New Delhi: Forensic evidence has confirmed the presence of the victim and the two accused aboard a moving sleeper bus where a 16-year-old student from Uttar Pradesh was allegedly gang-raped, Delhi Police sources were qouted in reports.
Investigators recovered fingerprints belonging to the Class 11 student and the two accused, identified as driver Kuldeep and conductor Sandeep, from the bus, according to police sources.
Forensic samples have also been collected from the seats and steering wheel of the bus. Police have seized clothes belonging to both accused as they await a DNA report that could provide further evidence in the case.
The police are expected to file a chargesheet soon.
The alleged assault took place on the night of Aug. 4 after the teenager boarded the sleeper bus in the Kashmere Gate area. The bus travelled nearly 47 kilometres through the National Capital Region before the girl was allegedly abandoned near the Kashmere Gate bus terminal.
The victim, who is from Mainpuri district in Uttar Pradesh, told police that the driver and conductor assaulted her and threatened to kill her when she resisted.
After being dropped on Ring Road near the bus terminal late at night, the teenager approached Kashmere Gate police and reported the incident.
Police subsequently arrested Kuldeep and Sandeep from a bus parking area in Timarpur and seized the sleeper bus allegedly used in the crime.
The case has also drawn the attention of the National Human Rights Commission, which has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident.
The NHRC has issued notices to the police commissioners of Delhi and Gautam Budh Nagar, as well as the superintendent of police in Mainpuri, seeking detailed reports on the case within two weeks.
The investigation remains ongoing, with police awaiting the DNA findings before completing the evidentiary process.
