Two held for ‘gang rape’ of woman in Baramulla; assault filmed, survivor threatened

29/07/2026

SRINAGAR, Jul 28: Police on Tuesday said they had cracked a heinous gang rape case in north Kashmir's Baramulla district with the arrest of two men accused of sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman, filming the crime on a mobile phone and threatening the survivor with dire consequences if she reported the incident.
Addressing a press conference, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Baramulla Gurinderpal Singh said the victim approached Baramulla Police on July 25 and lodged a complaint about the incident, which had taken place on July 3 in the Jalsheeri-Drangbal area.
The SSP said the woman told police that she had gone to the area with a male friend for an outing when two unknown men approached them, began harassing the couple and started recording their video.
"The accused assaulted the couple, chased the boy away and forcibly restrained the woman. They stripped her and raped her one after the other. While committing the crime, they also recorded a video of the assault on their mobile phones before fleeing the spot," Singh said.
According to the SSP, the survivor was unable to identify the accused but informed investigators that the two men had addressed each other as "Shakir" and "Ashraf" during the incident.
Following the complaint, police registered FIR No. 112/2026 at Police Station Baramulla and constituted an investigation team headed by a woman officer Meenakshi, considering the sensitive nature of the case.
Deputy Superintendent Police, headquarter Baramulla Shahjhan Choudhary said identifying the accused posed a major challenge as the complaint was lodged 22 days after the incident. He said police launched an intensive investigation using both technical evidence and human intelligence.
"During the investigation, we came across witnesses who informed us that the accused had shown the video of the crime to some people after the incident. Based on these leads, we were able to identify and trace the accused," he said.
Police arrested the two accused from their homes. They were identified as Shakir Ahmed Lone, 22, a resident of Jalsheeri and a driver by profession, and Mohammad Ashraf Dar, 27, also a resident of Jalsheeri. Ashraf, police said, is married and has two children and also works as a driver.
SHO police station Baramulla Hilal Ahmad told reporters that both accused were friends and had remained in the area on the day of the incident as it was a Friday and they were not working. According to the investigation, they noticed the couple heading towards the upper side of the area, followed them and subsequently committed the crime before recording the assault.
Investigating Officer PSI Meenakshi said sustained interrogation of the accused had led to important disclosures in the case.
"The accused have admitted that they followed the couple, raped the woman and recorded the assault on their mobile phone. We have taken them to the crime scene where they identified the spot and explained how the offence was committed," she said.
She added that police had recovered the mobile phone allegedly used to record the video and were collecting further technical and scientific evidence to strengthen the case.
"We will ensure a fair, impartial and speedy investigation so that justice is delivered to the victim at the earliest," she said.
Replying to questions from reporters, SSP Singh said the survivor had delayed approaching police because the accused had threatened her with serious consequences if she disclosed the incident.
"They threatened her that if she told anyone about the incident, it would not be good for her. Despite that, she gathered courage and approached the police after 22 days," he said.
The SSP said the survivor has been provided protection and her identity has been withheld in accordance with legal provisions to safeguard her privacy.
Asked whether more arrests were likely, Singh said the investigation had so far found evidence only against the two arrested accused.
"As of now, there is no evidence that the video was shared electronically. We have evidence that it was recorded and shown to some persons, but no evidence of it being circulated. If during the course of investigation any evidence emerges regarding sharing of the video or involvement of any other person, appropriate legal action will be taken," he said.
Police said all technical, scientific, documentary and oral evidence would be placed before the court and that they would seek a speedy trial to ensure conviction in the case.

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