UP woman cop raped by neighbour who offered lift on Karwa Chauth in Kanpur

A female police constable was raped by her neighbour in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur while she was on her way home to celebrate Karwa Chauth.

According to the police, the accused Dharmendra Paswan, aka Kallu (34), offered the woman a lift on his motorcycle when she was walking home, however, he instead took her to an isolated area.

After she agreed to the lift, Paswan diverted his vehicle towards an isolated spot near a tube well. The woman got suspicious and tried to stop him. He then forcibly overpowered her and allegedly raped her.

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The police constable had come to Kanpur for the Karwa Chauth rituals.

Joint Commissioner of Police Harish Chander said that the constable fought back during the assault, biting the accused's finger before managing to escape. She immediately reported the crime at a nearby police outpost.

In order to save himself, Paswan reported his vehicle as stolen at another police station. However, the woman identified him when he was brought in for questioning for alleged theft.

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Shortly after that, the police arrested him and charged him under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including rape and criminal intimidation.

Paswan has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days while further investigations are underway.

Such kinds of cases have been increasing for years now. The Uttar Pradesh government has reported significant progress in prosecuting crimes.

According to the UP government, "Over the past seven and a half years, the Directorate has successfully prosecuted over 80,000 criminals in the state."

"In addition, 54 criminals received the death penalty, in cases involving women, 28,700 criminals were punished for serious offences, including sexual assault and crimes under the POCSO Act, as stated in government's official record," it added.

(With inputs from agencies)