New Delhi, Dec 20 In a significant victory for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), a Special POCSO Court in Bulandshahr has convicted five men for the horrific 2016 gang-rape of a woman and her minor daughter.
The court held Juber (alias Sunil/Parwej), Sajid, Dharamvir (alias Jitender), Naresh (alias Sandip Baheliya), and Sunil Kumar (alias Sagar) guilty of the heinous crimes.
The case dates back to the night of July 29, 2016, when a family of six, travelling from Noida to Shahjahanpur, was ambushed on National Highway 91.
A group of armed assailants used a metal axle to puncture the family's car tyres, forcing them to stop near the fields of Dostpur village.
At gunpoint, the men were tied up and beaten while the woman and her 14-year-old daughter were dragged into the adjoining fields and subjected to hours of sexual assault and dacoity.
The investigation was initially handled by the Uttar Pradesh Police but was transferred to the CBI following a directive from the Allahabad High Court on August 12, 2016.
The transfer came amid intense public outcry and allegations of police negligence, including claims that the victims’ desperate calls to helplines went unanswered.
The CBI filed its first charge-sheet on November 5, 2016, against three of the accused, followed by a supplementary charge-sheet in April 2018 against three others.
Throughout the nine-year trial, one of the accused died while in judicial custody.
The case gained national attention not only for its brutality but also for the insensitive remarks made by then-U.P. Minister Azam Khan, who called the incident a "political conspiracy," a comment that led to a Supreme Court apology.
Following the court's verdict today, the quantum of the sentence for the five convicts is scheduled to be pronounced on December 22, 2025.
--IANS
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