Lucknow Police Arrest Suspect in Minor Dalit Student Gang Rape Case; Second Suspect Shot During Escape

In a police self-defense action, one suspect sustained a gunshot wound to the leg.

Authorities have arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with the alleged rape of a minor Dalit student in Lucknow district, officials confirmed on Sunday.

According to officials, two additional suspects managed to escape from a checkpoint in Harauni where police were stationed, though one sustained a leg injury during the encounter.

The apprehended suspect has been identified as Meraj, a 20-year-old resident of Harauni village. A police team successfully captured him at the Harauni railway station.

The incident involves a 16-year-old class 11 student who was allegedly sexually assaulted by five men in Lucknow on Saturday. Authorities have registered a case under Sections 70(2) (gang rape of a woman under 18) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with charges under the POCSO Act at Banthara police station.

According to an official statement, multiple teams were deployed to locate the accused individuals.

During the search operation, one police team encountered two "suspicious" individuals on a motorcycle at a checkpoint between the power station and railway station in Harauni.

When officers attempted to stop them, the suspects reportedly opened fire.

Police returned fire in self-defense, resulting in one suspect being shot in the leg.

The injured suspect was identified as Lalit Kashyap, a 33-year-old Harauni village resident with three previous cases against him.

Despite his injury, Kashyap and his accomplice managed to flee the scene.

Police recovered a motorcycle, pistol, and ammunition from the location.

Assistant Commissioner of Police for Krishnanagar, Vikash Kumar Pandey, previously informed PTI that the survivor had left home around noon to visit a relative, traveling by motorcycle with an acquaintance.

"The girl and her acquaintance stopped to talk in a mango orchard near a petrol pump in the Banthara police station area when five unknown men approached them. They assaulted her acquaintance, who fled the scene. The men then raped the girl," he explained.

The assailants threatened the victim to remain silent before leaving the area, Pandey added.

The survivor subsequently informed a male relative who alerted authorities.

Banthara Station House Officer Rana Rajesh Kumar told PTI, "Initial investigation suggests the accused are locals from nearby villages."