Four neighbours held for murder, gang-rape in UP s Jewar (Lead)

Noida May 26 (IANS) A day after a scrap dealer was killed and four women of his family raped by a group of armed men near Jewar the Uttar Pradesh police on Friday arrested four of their neighbours in the connection.

The Special Task Force (STF) arrested four persons today (Friday) morning for killing a scrap dealer and gang raping his mother wife sister and sister-in-law two km from Jewar on the Yamuna Expressway on Thursday an STF official told IANS.

He identified the arrested as Hazi Munna Wahim. The fourth person is yet to be identified.

Said to be neighbours of the victim s family they are being questioned by the STF officials.

The arrests were made on the basis of statements given by the women who have undergone medical examination he said.

The crime took place some 60 km from here on the Jewar-Bulandshahr highway around 1.30 a.m. on Thursday when eight members of the Greater Noida-based family including the four women were headed to Bulandshahr to visit an ailing relative.

According to the victims six armed men forced their Eeco van to stop by shooting at its tyres near Sabota village. The armed men then gang raped the women at gunpoint in a nearby field.

When scrap dealer Shakeel Qureshi 40 put up resistance the men shot him dead. The victims were also looted of their valuables mobile phones and Rs 47 000 police said.

--IANS
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