A 16-year-old Class 11 student from Uttar Pradesh was allegedly gang-raped inside a moving sleeper bus after she became stranded in heavy rain in the National Capital Region.

The teenager, from Mainpuri district, had left home following a family disagreement and was travelling to Noida to stay with her cousin. But her journey took a horrific turn after she got lost amid heavy rain and darkness on the night of August 4.

The incident has drawn comparisons with the 2012 Nirbhaya case, in which a young woman was brutally assaulted inside a moving bus in Delhi.

Teenager stranded at Pari Chowk

According to the account of the incident, the girl mistakenly got off at Pari Chowk during the downpour. With the streets dark and unable to find her way, she sought help from a passing sleeper bus and signalled the vehicle to stop.

The bus halted, and the driver, Kuldeep, and conductor, Sandeep, allegedly offered her a ride. They told her that they were travelling towards Noida Sector-63.

Believing she would be safe from the rain, the teenager boarded the bus.

Driver and conductor allegedly assaulted her

According to the report, the bus began moving shortly afterwards. The conductor allegedly made obscene advances towards the girl, which she resisted.

The driver and conductor then allegedly raped her and threatened to kill her.

The sleeper bus had curtains around its berths, which, according to the report, allowed the alleged assault to take place away from the view of people outside the vehicle.

The bus had earlier broken down and had been taken to a workshop in Surajpur for repairs. After the mechanical problem was fixed, the accused were reportedly driving the empty bus towards Timarpur when they encountered the teenager at Pari Chowk.

Student abandoned near Kashmere Gate

The accused allegedly abandoned the girl on Ring Road near the Kashmere Gate bus terminal before fleeing.

The frightened teenager then contacted Kashmere Gate police and reported the alleged assault.

Police subsequently arrested both accused from a bus parking area in Timarpur. The bus has also been seized for forensic examination.

Incident recalls 2012 Nirbhaya case

The alleged assault has revived memories of the December 2012 Nirbhaya case.

In that case, a 23-year-old medical student boarded a private bus in Munirka, South Delhi. She was brutally assaulted by six men inside the moving vehicle and later died from her injuries at a hospital in Singapore.

Her death triggered widespread protests across India and led the Centre and Delhi government to introduce a series of measures aimed at strengthening women's safety.

The latest incident has once again brought attention to the safety of women and girls travelling on public roads and transport in the region.