25-year-old woman gang-raped inside moving van, abandoned on road at dawn

A 25-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped inside a moving van in Haryana’s Faridabad district and driven around for nearly two hours before being thrown out on a roadside around 3 am, police said on Tuesday.

According to the police, the incident took place late Monday night when the woman was picked up by the accused on the pretext of dropping her home. Instead, she was taken into a van, where she was allegedly sexually assaulted by multiple men while the vehicle continued to move across different parts of the city.

The survivor was later abandoned on a deserted stretch of road in an injured condition in the early hours of Tuesday. Locals alerted the police, following which she was rushed to a nearby hospital.

Medical officials said the woman suffered severe injuries and required 12 stitches. Her condition is reported to be stable, and she is receiving further medical care and counselling.

Based on the woman’s complaint, police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to gang rape and criminal conspiracy. Her statement has been recorded, and forensic examinations have been conducted.

Police have arrested two men in connection with the Faridabad gang‑rape case and taken them into custody within about 48 hours of the incident. The van used in the crime, reportedly a Maruti Suzuki Eeco, has also been recovered by the Crime Branch for further investigation, although the vehicle’s registration number has not yet been released by authorities. “We have formed multiple teams to trace the accused. CCTV footage from multiple locations is being scanned to track the movement of the van,” a senior Faridabad police officer said.

The incident has once again drawn attention to the growing concern over crimes against women in the country. According to data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for 2021, India recorded 31,677 cases of rape, averaging about 86 cases every day — roughly one reported rape every 17 minutes. When all crimes against women are taken into account, nearly 49 such incidents are reported every hour across the country, highlighting the scale and persistence of gender-based violence.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and further details will emerge as the probe progresses.