A 23-year-old Delhi resident was allegedly gangraped in presence of her two friends in Ghaziabad while she was on her way home from office on Thursday.

Ghaziabad Rape: In a shocking incident, a 23-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by three men while she was returning from her office in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad district along with her two friends/colleagues– a man and another woman. As per reports, the incident took place on Thursday evening within the jurisdiction of the Tronica City police station limits.

Reports said the victim– a resident of Delhi– was on her way home from office in Ghaziabad’s Tronica City on Friday along with two of her friends, including another woman. While passing through a secluded area, the trio were waylaid by a group of unidentified men who assaulted and overpowered the victim’s friends, dragged her behind the bushes, and took turns to rape her before fleeing scene of the crime.

Following the nightmarish ordeal, the woman– who works at a toy manufacturing unit in Ghaziabad– and her friends rushed back to their families and told them what had transpired. Later, the victim filed a complaint at the Tronica City police station based on which the police registered an FIR against the unidentified attackers under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and took up investigation.

According to the complaint, the victim, along with her 22-year-old coworker and a male friend, were on their way home in Delhi’s Soniya Vihar at around 6:45 PM on Thursday when she asked her friend if she could drive his scooty on an empty road in the area.

“After we left the factory, my colleague asked her male friend if she could try her hand at driving his scooty when suddenly we were approached by three unidentified men. They overpowered us and then dragged her behind the bushes where they took turns raping her,” the victim’s friend said in the complaint.

A senior official said the police have formed five special teams to track down the accused and the victim’s friends are also being questioned.

“According to the police complaint, the woman was returning from her office with a male and a female friend when two men dragged her to a secluded spot and gang-raped her on Friday,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Rural, Vivek Chandra Yadav.

“It is also being investigated whether the suspects were known to the victim’s male friend or her colleague,” the DCP said, adding that further investigation is underway.

(With PTI inputs)