Ranchi, June 2 (IANS) In a swift response to a heinous crime, Ranchi police have arrested two persons — an auto-rickshaw driver and his accomplice — for the gang rape of a minor girl, SSP Chandan Kumar Sinha announced on Monday.

The incident occurred on May 30, and both accused were apprehended shortly after the crime was reported.

According to SSP Sinha, the arrested persons are Vinay Kumar Saw, 35, and Basant Kumar, 32.

Saw hails from Soparam village in Chatra district and currently resides in Chatakpur under the Ratu police station of Ranchi. Kumar is a resident of Hurhuri village, also under the Ratu police station.

The victim, a minor girl from Gumla district, had arrived at Hatia railway station on May 30 intending to travel to Delhi. However, after a phone call with her mother, she decided to return home instead. She approached an auto driver outside the station and asked to be taken to Lalgutwa to catch a bus to Gumla.

The driver agreed and fixed a fare, but instead of heading to Lalgutwa, he took a diversion

When the girl questioned the route change, he falsely assured her that he would take her directly to her village. He then drove her to a forested area in Chaura village under Chanho police station limits, where he and his accomplice raped her.

The perpetrators later abandoned the girl near a hotel in Murgu, under Ratu police station, around 4 a.m. on May 31. Locals found her unconscious and alerted the police, who promptly took her to safety.

The victim narrated her ordeal to the police, who then launched an investigation with the help of the technical cell.

Both accused were arrested, and authorities seized an auto-rickshaw, a motorcycle, and two mobile phones used in the crime.

The investigation team included DSP Arvind Kumar, Inspector Ram Narayan Singh, SI Priyanka Kumari, and other personnel from Ratu police station.

–IANS

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