Young woman gang-raped in Surat; BJP functionary among arrested
Surat: A case of gang rape has been registered in Gujarat's Surat city involving two accused, one of whom is a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary. The incident has triggered public outrage and led to the suspension of the party member by the BJP’s Surat unit.
According to police reports, a 23-year-old woman was allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted by Aditya Upadhyay and his associate Gaurav Singh. Upadhyay, who held the post of Ward General Secretary in the BJP Surat City unit, has since been arrested and suspended from all party responsibilities.
The complainant, in her statement to the police, alleged that she was offered a cold drink laced with sedatives by Upadhyay after she entered his car on the pretext of a friendly conversation. She lost consciousness shortly afterward. She was then taken to a hotel in the city, where both accused allegedly took turns sexually assaulting her.
The woman managed to file a complaint at Jahangir Pura police station after regaining consciousness. Based on her detailed testimony and preliminary investigation, the police registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including gang rape.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-1), Rakesh Barot, confirmed the arrests and stated: “We have registered a gang rape case based on the complainant’s statement and additional evidence. Both accused have been arrested and remanded to police custody for further investigation.”
CCTV footage from the hotel and digital evidence, including phone and GPS records, are being examined by investigators. Medical examinations of the survivor and the accused have also been conducted.
In response to the incident, BJP Surat City President Paresh Patel issued a statement confirming Upadhyay’s suspension.
“The party has taken cognizance of the matter and suspended Aditya Upadhyay with immediate effect pending the outcome of the legal process,” the statement read.
Women’s rights organisations have condemned the incident and demanded a speedy trial under a fast-track court. Several activists have also raised concerns about potential political interference in the investigation.
The case is likely to be transferred to the Sessions Court shortly. Police have assured that the investigation will be conducted impartially and that all necessary legal procedures are being followed.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
