A horrifying incident in Balrampur has shocked the state after a 21-year-old deaf and mute woman was chased, kidnapped and gang-raped by multiple bike-borne men in an area dangerously close to the residences of top district officials. The crime took place on Monday evening when the young woman was returning home on foot from her maternal uncle’s house. It was barely a kilometre away. CCTV footage from cameras installed at a senior police officer’s residence shows her running desperately on an almost deserted road, looking back repeatedly in fear, as three to four bikers follow closely behind. Moments later, one of them stops, forces her onto his motorcycle, and drives away.
According to police, she was taken to a secluded location where several men allegedly gang-raped her with a medical examination later confirming the assault.
When she did not return home, her worried family began a frantic search. Hours later, they found her lying unconscious in bushes near a police post with her clothes in disarray. Once she regained consciousness, she managed to convey through gestures that she had been sexually assaulted. The family has accused the police of gross negligence, claiming that the CCTV cameras near the police post where she was found were not functioning. The most shocking aspect of the case is that the attack happened in a high-security area with the residences of the District Magistrate, Superintendent of Police and several judges located nearby.
Based on the survivor’s statement, police immediately launched a manhunt. The two prime accused, identified as Ankur Verma and Harshit Pandey, were arrested after a brief encounter with the police during which both suffered injuries. They were admitted to the district hospital for treatment. According to officials, both of them confessed to the crime. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Vishal Pandey assured that all CCTV footage from the area is being scanned and the case is being handled with utmost urgency to ensure that the culprits are punished.
The survivor, who is now stable, is receiving both medical and psychological support. The incident has triggered outrage among residents and activists who are demanding stricter safety measures, fully functional surveillance cameras and more frequent police patrols, especially in so-called secure zones.
