2 mentally disabled women gang-raped at Barabanki homeless shelter, 3 staff arrested | News from India

LUCKNOW: Two mentally and physically challenged women – inmates of a private home in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh – were allegedly raped by staff members. Police are searching for one of the survivors, who is missing. Three people have been arrested in this connection, including home warden Rajesh Kumar, security guard Ram Kailash and Amrita Devi, a staff member who allegedly helped the accused in the crime.

The arrests were made on Thursday after a woman, the treasurer and in-charge of the institution, filed a complaint at Haidergarh police station two days ago, alleging that the in-charge came to the institution along with a female staff member. He and other staff members raped two mentally challenged inmates and even abducted one of them, said SP Dinesh Kumar Singh.

SP Singh added that one of the survivors was subjected to a medical examination, the result of which was inconclusive. Her swab test report is still awaited. “We have formed four teams to search for the missing inmate,” the SP added.

A three-member team led by a sub-district magistrate inspected the home and found that facilities were inadequate. After that, the inmates were shifted to an orphanage in Lucknow, said Satyendra Kumar, district magistrate of Barabanki.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the treasurer is living in the homeless shelter with her husband, SP Dinesh Singh added.

“The accused director, Rajesh Kumar, had earlier started a similar home in Sultanpur for which the treasurer had provided land while setting up the organisation. However, Rajesh had not paid for the land, which led to a dispute between them,” he said, adding that the police were investigating all aspects of the case.