Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh – In a heartbreaking case that has sent shockwaves in the state, a 22-year-old deaf-mute woman was allegedly gang-raped while heading home in Balrampur district. The attack happened just a short distance from the homes of top officials, including the district magistrate and superintendent of police, raising big questions about safety in the area. Police have arrested two suspects after a tense chase and encounter, but the family says more needs to be done to catch everyone involved.
The incident unfolded on the evening of August 11, around 8 PM, when the young woman was walking back from her maternal grandparents’ house, only about a kilometer away. According to reports, a group of men on motorcycles stopped her and forced her to get on the bike., and took her to a lonely field nearby. There, she was attacked by them. Her family grew worried when she didn’t make it home by 9 PM and started searching. They found her unconscious in some bushes near a local police outpost, her clothes torn and in a bad state. She was rushed to the district hospital, where doctors confirmed the rape through a medical check. Thanks to quick care, she’s now stable, but the trauma is deep, she communicated what happened through signs and gestures with help from experts.
What makes this even more chilling is the video evidence. CCTV cameras caught the woman running for her life on a quiet road, chased by three or four men on bikes. One clip, about 14 seconds long, shows her passing right by a senior police officer’s house in panic. The footage went viral on social media, helping police track down the attackers.
Police swung into action after the family filed a complaint. They pored over the videos, noted the bike numbers, and set up teams to hunt for the suspects. By Tuesday night, they had names: Ankur Verma, 21, and Harshit Pandey, 22, both locals. An alert went out, and early Wednesday morning, around 12:30 AM, cops spotted them near the edge of town, trying to flee toward Nepal. When officers tried to stop them, the men opened fire. Police shot back in self-defense, hitting both in the legs. The suspects gave up and were taken into custody. They’re now in the hospital recovering from their wounds but have confessed to the crime, cops say.
Additional Superintendent of Police Vishal Pandey told reporters they’re still digging deeper, checking if others were part of the gang. “We’re looking at every angle from the footage and statements,” he said. The arrests came fast, but the family isn’t satisfied. They say the attack happening so close to bigwigs’ homes – just a kilometer away – shows how unsafe things are for regular folks, especially vulnerable ones. “How can this happen right under their noses?” one relative asked, frustrated with what they call police carelessness.
This isn’t the first time Uttar Pradesh has seen such horrors, but this case stands out because of the victim’s disability and the bold location. The woman, who can’t hear or speak, was an easy target, and her family worries about her future. As the probe goes on, locals hope for quick justice to bring some peace to the shattered family.
The police have promised a tight case, with evidence like the CCTV and medical reports backing it up. But for now, Balrampur is on edge, wondering how such a thing could happen in a place full of authorities. The suspects face serious charges, and if convicted, they could get long prison terms. The victim’s name is being kept secret to protect her, following court rules on these sensitive matters.
