Desk Correspondent , Lucknow - A woman in her 20s was allegedly gang-raped by three men in Fatehpur district, Uttar Pradesh, while she was travelling with her fiancé last Friday, April 25, 2026, in the Khaga Kotwali area. The couple had stopped due to intense heat on their way to a relative's house when two of the accused approached them, questioned their presence, abused and assaulted the fiancé, and held him captive. They then called a third accomplice, and all three took turns raping the woman for nearly three hours. The men also beat the couple, filmed the assault, extorted ₹2,500 from the fiancé through an online transfer, and forced them to record a video claiming nothing had happened while threatening them against approaching the police.

Police registered an FIR only after the couple approached Fatehpur SP Abhimanyu Manglik on Sunday, April 27, following their initial complaint at the local station where they alleged the complaint was not registered and they were mistreated. Two accused, identified as Lalit and Yuvraj Singh, were arrested based on transaction details and the survivor's identification. The third accused, Bablu Singh, remains absconding, with police announcing a ₹50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and deploying multiple teams, including the Special Operations Group, to track him down. The accused have been booked under sections for rape, extortion, and relevant provisions of the IT Act.

For initial negligence action has been taken against Station House Officer R K Patel was removed and sent to police lines, while Outpost in-charge Sub-Inspector Aneesh Singh was suspended, the two police personnel. The investigation is ongoing. The victim's family has alleged threats and monetary offers to withdraw the complaint, along with claims of political affiliation for one of the accused (denied by local party representatives). A Samajwadi Party delegation visited the village demanding strict action.