Two dancers in Kushinagar, UP, kidnapped at gunpoint for a party performance, then gang raped

Uttar Pradesh police have arrested eight men in connection with the abduction and gang rape of two orchestra dancers in Kushinagar district. The incident took place on Monday evening when the victims were forcibly taken from their rented accommodation.

According to police, the gun-armed attackers abducted the dancers and took them to a house in Kaptanganj area where the attack took place.

Kushinagar Police Commissioner Santosh Kumar Mishra said the assailants arrived in two SUVs and, while firing guns, took the victims to the residence of one of the suspects, Ajit Singh, in Kaptanganj area, where the gang rape is alleged to have taken place.

One of the accused told police that their intention was not to demand ransom but to force the dancers to perform at Ajit Singh's birthday party.

The suspects allegedly drank alcohol and, in their drunken state, decided to kidnap the dancers for entertainment. When the dancers refused to accompany them, the perpetrators allegedly pulled out firearms and fired warning shots to force them to obey. The local residents were also alarmed by the shots, according to a NDTV Report.

When police received reports of the incident, they intervened, rescued the dancers and arrested six of the suspects – Arthak Singh, Nagendra Yadav, Ashwan Singh, Ajit Singh and Vivek Seth – on Monday evening.

The other two suspects, Nisar Ansari and Aditya Sahni, were subsequently located during a police checkpoint near a canal on Tuesday evening. While attempting to arrest them, the suspects opened fire, leading to a shootout in which both were injured and captured.

Police have released footage of Ansari and Sahni sitting in wheelchairs, their legs in casts and visibly injured, begging for forgiveness. In the video, they can be seen covering their ears and pleading: “Please forgive us. This will not happen again.”

Authorities also seized a large cache of weapons and other items from the suspects. The items seized include two SUVs, a motorcycle without a license plate, an illegal factory pistol, seven shotguns, four other illegal pistols, ten cartridge cases, twelve live ammunitions, eleven mobile phones and a Nepali SIM card.

(With contributions from agencies)