Lucknow: A rape accused who was absconding, and UP Police was unable to trace his whereabouts, fear surrendered in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh after the Police parked a bulldozer outside his house to demolish it. The man, who ran a lavatory near Railway Station in Pratapgarh, was accused of raping a woman in the toilet.
The victim was scheduled to board a train to go to Ahmedabad from Prayagraj. She left with her husband and one more person for Pratapgarh Railway Station to catch a train for Prayagraj. At around 12 AM on the intervening night of March 18 and March 19, she went to look for a washroom. The accused gave her a key to the washroom. When she opened the lock and entered, he followed and raped her.
Before leaving her, he threatened not to tell anyone about the incident. She rushed to find her husband and told him what had happened. Her husband caught the accused. However, associates of the accused reached the spot and beat up the victim’s husband. The accused took benefit of the moment and ran away.
The victim went back home and then approached the police station to file a complaint against the rapist. The rape was confirmed in the medical test. Based on her complaint, the Police initiated the probe and raided multiple locations to find him. He was not found at his house or other locations during the search operations. To force him out of the hideout, the Police parked a bulldozer outside his house. They issued a warning to the family members that if he failed to surrender in 24-hours, they would demolish the house.
The accused, identified as Shubham, came to know about the warning and then contacted the Police to inform them that he was at Bhangwa Octroi. He was later arrested by the Police. As per the regulations, the administration has the power to raze down properties in two cases. First, if the construction was illegal and second if it belonged to a criminal who constructed it using money earned via illegal activities.
This was the first time Police used a bulldozer to force a criminal out of the hideout. Famous by the name ‘Bulldozer wale baba’, CM Yogi Adityanath made it to headlines on several occasions after the UP administration razed down illegal constructions and buildings linked to criminals.