UP: Deaf-mute woman kidnapped, gang-raped near SP's residence, CCTV cameras were off

Within 24 hours, police arrested both accused after an encounter

- BISWAJEET BANERJEE

BALRAMPUR: A deaf and mute woman was allegedly kidnapped and gangraped just meters away from the homes of Balrampur's top district officials, in an area supposedly under constant surveillance.

Shockingly, several CCTV cameras in the vicinity — part of the state's high-profile Operation Trinetra — were found switched off at the time of the assault.

Police say the woman, returning from her maternal uncle's home, was dragged into a deserted field by two men who took turns raping her. Unable to call for help due to her disability, she lay stranded until her family, alarmed when she did not return within an hour, began searching.

They found her in a distressed condition in a field near a police outpost.