Uttar Pradesh horror: Deaf-mute woman gangraped in Balrampur; 2 arrested after early morning encounter

LUCKNOW: Balrampur police arrested two men in connection with the gangrape of a 22-year-old deaf-mute woman in the Bahadurpur, Dehat Kotwali area of Balrampur district. The arrests followed an encounter in the early hours of Wednesday.

The incident occurred on the night of August 11, came to light especially after CCTV footage of the victim fleeing her assailants went viral on social media. The suspects, identified as Ankur Verma (21) and Harshit Pandey (22), sustained injuries during a police chase when they attempted to evade capture. Police are continuing to investigate the possibility of additional individuals being involved in the crime. According to police reports, on the fateful day the victim was returning home from her maternal grandparents' residence around 8 PM when she was allegedly accosted by a young man and forcibly taken to a secluded field. Due to her inability to speak or hear, she was left defenseless and traumatized. Her family, alarmed by her failure to return home by 9 PM, initiated a search and discovered her unconscious in the field. She was promptly transported to the district women's hospital, where medical professionals have since stabilized her condition. Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikash Kumar confirmed that an FIR was filed immediately, and a manhunt for the perpetrators was launched.

The victim has been able to convey some details of the ordeal through gestures, with experts brought in to aid the investigation. "We meticulously reviewed CCTV footage and traced the registration numbers of the motorcycles used by the suspects, which led to the formation of dedicated teams to apprehend them," SP Kumar stated. On Tuesday night, investigators identified Ankur Verma and Harshit Pandey as the individuals involved in the crime.

An alert was issued, and efforts to capture the duo intensified. At approximately 12:30 AM on Wednesday, the suspects were spotted near the outskirts of the Kotwali Dehat police station area, allegedly attempting to flee to Nepal. When confronted, they opened fire on the pursuing officers, prompting a retaliatory response that resulted in their injuries. Subsequently, both suspects surrendered and confessed to the crime. A crucial piece of evidence, a 14-second video from a camera near the SP's residence, has surfaced on social media, showing the victim in distress. This footage is now central to the ongoing investigation.