One of the accused was arrested by the police. (Deputy)

Jhansi:

Days after a 16-year-old girl alleged that she was raped in a moving car, Uttar Pradesh police said the charges were part of a conspiracy to trap the accused. The victim, a resident of Jhansi, had alleged that she was abducted and raped by men in a white car who then left her on the road.

The teenager claimed that three men who live in the same area as her kidnapped her in a car at 6 a.m. on Tuesday and drove her towards the highway, where two of them raped her.

However, after examining the video footage, the police said they found no evidence of the crime. During questioning, the police found that the victim, her aunt and the aunt’s son had fabricated the story to extort money from the three men with whom they had an old dispute.

“The case took a turn when the family’s statement was examined. Initially, the victim claimed that she was kidnapped by two persons in a white car, but the CCTV footage near her residence did not show any such vehicle. Instead, the footage showed the victim travelling alone,” said Rajesh S, Jhansi’s senior superintendent of police.

Police checked about 50 to 60 surveillance cameras in the area, he said.

“The girl wanted to run away with a boy and get married. She waited for the boy in the fortress.
“But when he didn’t show up, she went to her aunt’s house,” he said, adding that the aunt and her son hatched a plan to lure their neighbors into a trap.

Police also said the girl confessed that the story was fabricated to incriminate the boys. A case was registered under Section 22 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the girl’s family was taken into custody.