Woman allegedly abducted, gang-raped, and shot at in UP's Bareilly

BAREILLY: An FIR was registered on Sunday after a 45-year-old woman alleged she was abducted and gang- raped by four unidentified men in a car and later shot in the chest in Bareilly.
According to her complaint, she, a divorcee, had gone to a medical store near the 300-bed hospital to buy medicine for her child on Saturday night. While walking home, a black car stopped near her, and four men inside forced her into the vehicle and gang-raped her. She claimed they drove from Gandhi Udyan to Duda Office Road, where they stopped and then let her out. As she stepped out, one of them pulled out a gun and shot her. She screamed and fell to the ground as the assailants fled.
However, police raised doubts over her claims due to inconsistencies in her statements. SP (City) Manush Pareek said, "There are several loopholes in her allegations. In Dec 2022, she had filed a similar complaint against a political leader but later admitted it was false and withdrew it."
"In this case, CCTV footage from the area where she claimed she was abducted shows her standing near a park, with no vehicle appearing in the footage. The FIR was registered based on a complaint by her niece, and we are conducting a thorough investigation before proceeding further. Her medical examination was conducted on Monday," the SP added.
A police official involved in the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "During questioning, the woman changed her statement, now claiming she was shot by two men she knew, despite initially blaming unidentified assailants. The medico-legal examination also did not support the gang - rape allegations, and doctors have now taken a slide for a vaginal swab test. The bullet injury is not serious, and there is no threat to her life."
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)