Army aspirant accuses TTE of rape attempt

Lucknow: A young woman preparing for Army recruitment accused a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) of attempting to rape her aboard the Ahmedabad-Gorakhpur express between Indara and Deoria on Sunday night.The accused TTE, identified as Rahul Kumar, is currently absconding. The govt railway police (GRP) has announced a reward of Rs 10,000 for information about him.According to the complaint lodged with the GRP, the survivor, 24, travelled from Gorakhpur to Mau to appear for her NCC ‘C' certificate examination. Due to a heavy rush at the station while returning, she allegedly could not purchase a ticket and boarded an AC coach of the train in Mau.In her FIR, the woman alleged that while she was standing inside the AC coach, the TTE approached her and enquired about her identity and travel details. After learning that she was an NCC cadet, he allegedly assured her of providing a seat after charging the requisite fine. However, she claimed that he instead took her to a first AC cabin on the pretext of arranging a seat. The survivor alleged that once inside the cabin, the TTE locked the door from inside and tried to sexually assault her. When she resisted, he allegedly threatened to implicate her in a ticket-less travel case if she disclosed the incident.She raised an alarm and dialled 112 to alert police. Following this, the accused reportedly got off the train at Deoria station and fled. Upon arrival in Gorakhpur, the woman lodged a formal complaint at the GRP police station. The case was subsequently transferred to Deoria for jurisdictional reasons.Police registered a case and conducted the survivor's medical examination.GRP SP Laxmi Niwas Mishra told TOI that an FIR of attempt to rape was registered and raids are underway to arrest the accused TTE, who is said to be a resident of Bihar. Railway authorities were also informed.Officials noted that under railway rules, a passenger found without a ticket is liable to pay a fine and be issued a valid ticket, and sending such a passenger to a private cabin is against established procedures.