A young woman preparing for Army recruitment has accused a travelling ticket examiner of raping her aboard the Ahmedabad–Gorakhpur Express in Uttar Pradesh, according to the Government Railway Police.
The alleged incident took place on Sunday night between Indara and Deoria railway stations. The accused has been identified as Rahul Kumar, who allegedly fled after the woman alerted the police.
The survivor, a resident of Mau district who currently lives in Gorakhpur, is preparing for Army recruitment. She had travelled to Mau to appear for her NCC C certificate examination and was returning to Gorakhpur when the alleged incident occurred.
According to her complaint, she was unable to purchase a ticket due to heavy crowding at the station and boarded the train, standing in an air conditioned coach. During ticket checking, the TTE questioned her about her identity and travel details.
She alleged that the TTE offered to arrange a seat after collecting the prescribed fine and took her to a cabin in the AC first class coach. Once inside, he allegedly closed the door and raped her. The accused also allegedly threatened her with legal action for travelling without a ticket if she disclosed the incident.
The woman raised an alarm and called the police emergency helpline during the journey. Upon learning about the complaint, the accused allegedly got off the train at Deoria station and fled, police said.
After the train reached Gorakhpur, the survivor filed a complaint at the GRP police station. The case was later transferred to Deoria as the alleged crime occurred within its jurisdiction.
Police have registered a first information report and conducted a medical examination of the survivor.
GRP Superintendent of Police Laxminivas Mishra said police teams are conducting raids to trace and arrest the accused, who is reportedly a resident of Bihar.
“A case has been registered and raids are underway. The accused will be arrested soon,” he said, adding that railway authorities have also been informed.
Railway officials stated that under existing rules, passengers travelling without tickets are fined and issued valid tickets by the TTE and directed to travel in the appropriate coach. Taking a passenger to a private cabin is not part of standard railway procedure.
Police said further investigation is underway.
