UP horror: NEET aspirant allegedly kidnapped, raped, tortured with cigarette burns, cuts, threats for 16 days

Lucknow: In a spine-chilling incident, a 25-year-old woman preparing for NEET 2026 in Uttar Pradesh's Mahoba district was allegedly kidnapped and held captive for 16 days. During the time, she was allegedly drugged, tortured, and raped by a group of men until the police rescued her.

Narrating the horror she endured, the NEET aspirant alleged that the men first sedated her with intoxicants and then sexually assaulted her for hours. She further alleged that they tortured her by burning her body with cigarettes, beating her, and inflicting knife wounds on her hands. She said that if she resisted, they would threaten to kill her brother. 

Her condition is critical, and she is currently admitted to a government hospital. Her brother, demanding justice for her sister, told TOI that around 15-20 men are involved in the crime and around 4 men abducted her

So far, the police have arrested three men, and they will soon be produced before the court. A total of four teams have been formed in this case, and raids are ongoing to arrest the remaining accused.

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The incident happened three days before the NEET exam, on April 30, while the entrance test was held on May 3. The aspirant, originally from Madhya Pradesh, had been preparing for NEET in Mahoba. She lived in a rented room and attended coaching classes and library sessions regularly.

On April 30, while she was returning from the library and was headed towards her home, when sudddenly few men in a car stopped and allegedly dragged her into the vehicle and drove away. Inside the car, the gang gave her sedative injections, allegedly sexually assaulted her and also took obscene photos and videos.

She was then taken to a place where they confined her for 16 days and sexually assaulted her and physically tortured her with cigarette burns and knife cuts. She claimed that one of the accused forcibly married her during the period of captivity.

On May 13, the woman was taken to Prayagraj, where the accused's family members, along with another man, tried to force the student to marry the accused. When the woman rejected, they showed the photo of her brother and allegedly threatened to kill him. In addition, they also asked that if the woman agreed to marry him, they would delete all the obscene photos and videos.

She said, "I was raped every two hours after being injected with intoxicants. My entire body was burned with cigarettes. They would show me my brother's photo and say that if I didn't comply, they would kill him."

Following her abduction, their family members filed a missing person complaint on May 1. Based on the complaint, the police registered a case and formed four teams to trace the woman. 

After a two-week-long investigation, the police on May 16 rescued the woman, following which she was admitted to a hospital. The police also recorded the her statement and she underwent medical examination. The police confirmed that her body bore cigarette burn marks and knife injuries.

In her statement, the aspirant said, "My NEET exam was on May 3. On April 30, I was going from the library to my room. On the way, a large car stopped near me and 2-3 men came out and pulled me into the car. They injected me with intoxicants. There were 6-7 men. One man in his 40s was driving the car."

Vandana Singh, a senior police officer, told India Today, "Three accused have already been taken into custody for questioning and will be produced before the court soon. The special teams are conducting further search operations, and the rest of the accused will be arrested soon."

The aspirant has further appealed to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for justice and demanded capital punishment for the accused. Officials told ABP Live that she remains traumatised and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital under medical supervision.

Her brother speaking to TOI said, "My sister's condition is very critical. She has been admitted to a govt hospital. Until the accused are punished, we will not find peace. A total of 15-20 people are involved in this entire conspiracy."

CO City Arun Kumar Singh said "The girl came to the police station herself. An audio-video has surfaced that shows the girl has married one of the accused. The girl was produced in court and her statement under Section 161 was recorded, after which she was handed over to her brother."

The mother of the student, the complainant in the case stated that the individuals who kidnapped her are the ones who had allegedly harassed the student in November 2024, following which a case was registered against them in Chhattarpur, Madhya Pradesh. The accused had allegedly threatened the victim with abduction and gang rape at the time.

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