Man accused of raping girl, killing her father in UP’s Firozabad arrested

The girl herself said she wants to know why the arrest was not made after an FIR of rape was lodged in August 2019, as it could have saved the life of her father.

The Uttar Pradesh police claim to have arrested the accused who raped a minor girl in Firozabad last year and then, along with associates, killed her father on Monday, but the victim’s family members are still worried about their security. Aachman Upadhyaya (aka Chottu), the main accused in the rape, and Govinda, were both arrested on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday following an encounter.

At least one other accomplice, involved in the killing of the father, escaped.

The girl herself said she wants to know why the arrest was not made after an FIR of rape was lodged in August 2019, as it could have saved the life of her father. She also demanded that the prime accused be hanged.

The family claims the police made no effort to track down the accused after August.

“ They reached the accused within 48 hours of my brother’s death but could not do so in the past six months. Had they been arrested earlier, my brother would be alive today,” said the survivor’s uncle.

After the incident, a case was registered under the Pocso Act but the accused (Upadhyaya)could not be arrested, though police attached his property and declared a reward of Rs 50,000.

The victim’s uncle said the accused and his associates were openly threatening and pressuring his brother to withdraw the rape complaint.

Inspector general of Agra range A Satish Ganesh said Upadhyaya and Govinda were both injured during the encounter.

“Sub inspector Neeraj Mishra and Special Operation Group (SOG) constable Bhagat Singh were also injured in the encounter. Aachman Upadhyaya, alias Chottu, the main accused, was arrested along with his accomplice, Govinda, and they too were injured in the encounter. The third criminal absconded under cover of darkness. All four injured were admitted to hospital for treatment,” the IG said.

However, the arrest has brought little relief for the girl’s family.

“We have been provided security, which should have come earlier. No heed was paid to our request last made on February 1, 10 days before my brother’s murder. My brother ran around seeking justice, and even complained on the chief minister’s portal. The police took the threats lightly,” the uncle added.

Police officials admit that there were lapses and three policemen have been suspended.

“In our initial probe, negligence was found on the part of KD Sharma, in charge of the Uttar police station in Firozabad and Lokendra Singh, station house officer in Shikohabad. Ashesh Kumar, in charge of Kotla police outpost, also failed to perform his duties and so all three were suspended,” said Ganesh.

The girl wants Upadhyaya to be hanged for killing her father but has lost all trust in Firozabad police. She claims the last threat her father received was at 4 am on February 1. He was killed around 8 pm on February 10.

“We approached the police and they promised to send two policemen who never arrived.”