NEW DELHI: DNA evidence will be key against the two accused in the gang rape of a 17-year-old in a moving sleeper bus on Aug 4, police said.Fingerprints of the survivor and the accused — driver Kuldeep and conductor Sandeep — have confirmed their presence in the bus; samples have also been picked up from the seats and steering wheel, sleuths said.Clothes worn by the accused have also been seized and sent for examination.A detailed forensic report is awaited, sources said. A special team has been formed to investigate the case.Inquiries have revealed that the conductor talked to the girl for 5-7 minutes after she sought a lift at Pari Chowk in Noida on Aug 4.After he learnt she had left home following a fight and was headed to her cousin’s in Noida’s Sector 63, Sandeep told her the bus was headed that way. Soon after she boarded the bus, Sandeep raped her at Bakhtawarpur Village (Noida Sec 127-128), police said. Then, the conductor took the wheel and the driver forced himself on the girl.After the assault, the bus travelled 26km unchecked before the duo dropped the girl at Kashmere Gate bus stand.CCTV on bus not functional at time of incident, say copsPolice said thick curtains were installed on the bus windows, blocking off any view from outside. The girl reported the crime to Kashmere Gate police.Following the incident, Delhi Traffic Police is checking buses at the interstate bus terminals, verifying drivers’ IDs and other documents.Both accused were arrested from Timarpur, around 5km from Kashmere Gate, within hours of the crime and the bus seized. A blanket was found placed over the steering wheel near the driver’s seat, while a bedsheet had been spread across the empty aisle between the seats on either side. This was where the alleged assault took place, police said.Kuldeep and Sandeep had been working with the bus company for the past two years. Police found at least 11 traffic challans amounting to Rs 54,000 pending against the bus at the time of the incident.Police have collected CCTV footage from places on the bus’s route, starting from where it was parked in Surajpur, Noida, for repairs, to where the girl was dropped off. Statements of the employees at the workshop have confirmed that the accused driver and conductor were present there and had taken the bus out after work was completed, police said.The digital video recorder of the bus has also been examined but cops found that the bus’ CCTV was not functional at the time. The device is being examined to ascertain the last recording time and whether the accused turned it off before the incident. An employee of the bus company told cops that the bus had gone for repairs and was being renovated so the CCTV cameras had not been installed. After Surajpur, the bus was supposed to head to Kashmere Gate for painting work.
