The Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday arrested the watchman of the famous Sriji temple near Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura for allegedly ganging up on a 45-year-old woman at the temple along with another staff member and raping her. Superintendent of Mathura (Rural) Police Aditya Kumar Shukla said Kanhaiya Yadav was in custody, but the other accused was absconding, PTI reported.
The female devotee alleged that she was sleeping on the balcony of the temple on Monday when the watchman and another man forcibly took her to a secluded place and raped her. Shukla said the complainant was sent for a medical examination after reporting the incident.
The woman also claimed that she had approached the police on Wednesday, but they did not register an FIR then. Mathura Senior Superintendent of Police Swapnil Mangain told The Times of India that a case of gangrape has been registered against the two accused, and that they had collected CCTV footage from the temple.
Mangain said he had also ordered an inquiry into the woman’s claim of police apathy. “If her allegation is found to be true, disciplinary action will be taken against the concerned officer [who refused to file an FIR],” he added.
An unidentified official at the temple said the woman was being looked after by other devotees. “Her husband and child died a few years ago,” the official said. “Both the accused have been sacked by the temple management.”
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