Main accused in Budaun case held

The UP Police on Wednesday arrested Pappu Yadav, one of the main accused in the horrific Budaun gang-rape and murder case. 

Yadav was produced before a court and remanded in police custody. He was interrogated in connection with the gang-rape and murder of the two teenaged cousins in Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh last month, reports said.

The police had earlier arrested five accused persons, who included three brothers and two cops. All of them belong to the victims’ village. Two of the accused had reportedly confessed to the crime.

The Allahabad High Court, meanwhile, said it would monitor the investigation of the incident. The court’s observation followed a PIL filed by a women’s organisation. 

Another bench of the high court on Wednesday reserved its order on another petition, seeking a CBI probe into the matter.

The court has sought details of crimes against women in the state over the past six weeks and the action taken by the police in all cases. The UP government had earlier recommended a CBI probe into the gang-rape and murder of the two girls. The CBI has now reportedly taken over the investigation.