Minor NEET aspirant held hostage in Kanpur, raped for over 6 months

A minor student, who hailed from Fatehpur and moved to Kanpur to prepare for her NEET exam at a prominent coaching institute, was allegedly held hostage for over six months and raped by two of its teachers, the police said on Saturday.

They said the ordeal for the student began in December 2022, when she was putting up at a city hostel. The student was 17-years-old at the time.

ACP (Kalyanpur) Abhishek Pandey said the case was registered on Friday after she approached the Kalyanpur police station.

Both teachers — Sahil Siddiqui, who taught biology, and Vikas Porwal, who taught chemistry — have been arrested and charged with offences of rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and under provisions of the POCSO Act.

Just two months ago, Siddiqui was accused of engaging in obscene acts with another student at the coaching centre and arrested. He was recently released on bail.

The Fatehpur student told the police that in December 2022, Siddiqui invited her to his friend’s flat in Kalyanpur’s Makdi-Khera area for a New Year’s party. When she reached the flat, she found that only Siddiqui was there. He drugged her by lacing her soft drink with sedatives and raped her, while also recording the episode on video.

According to the complaint, Siddiqui allegedly held her hostage in his flat for over six months, repeatedly raped her and threatened to share the video online if she spoke to anyone about it. The survivor alleged that Porwal raped her a few months after this.

She said that she could not muster the courage to seek police help as she was afraid that it might land her family in danger. Six months later, the girl’s mother arrived in Kanpur and took her along. She finally made up her mind to take the step when she came across a video showing Siddiqui sexually harassing a coaching student.