New Delhi: A 15-year-old homeless girl was gangraped multiple times allegedly by a group of four teenagers over a period of several months at different isolated spaces around in Mayur Vihar Phase 1 in East Delhi, the police said on Tuesday.
On December 29 last year, the girl was found lying unconscious on a pavement near the Mayur Vihar Phase-I Metro station’s parking lot by a ragpicker, who then informed the police control room. Two days later, she delivered a premature baby girl in the seventh month at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital in East Delhi.
The teenager remained unconscious and under constant medical observation till January 3. After she regained consciousness, the police approached a judicial magistrate and sought permission to record her statement under CrPC 164. After the approval, her statement was recorded in the presence of a magistrate. The girl, in her statement, alleged that she was being sexually exploited by the four-five boys living in villages around the Metro station.
All she could remember about the people who assaulted her for an unknown period of time was just one name – Sonu (name changed, as accused is a minor). She alleged that the others who violated her were Sonu’s friends.
A case of gangrape under the sections of 376D of the IPC and 6, 9 and 10 of protection of children from sexual offences (Pocso) Act was registered against unknown persons at the Mayur Vihar police station. “We took up the probe and formed teams to identify and nab other suspects at the earliest,” said Omvir Singh, deputy commissioner of police (east).
A door-to-door search operation was carried out in areas around Mayur Vihar such as Chilla village, Dallupura, Khichripur, Pandav Nagar, Trilokpuri and Kalyanapuri to nab “Sonu”. The police rounded up over 15 Sonus living in various localities, but failed to find the prime suspect.
On Monday, however, the police caught a group of six minor boys in the Mayur Vihar area for a petty crime. One of the boys was named Sonu.
“As we were already searching for a minor named Sonu, we immediately showed Sonu’s picture to the victim and she confirmed that he is the same Sonu who had raped her. On this Sonu was questioned and a picture of other detained minors were also shown to the victim. The victim identified another boy called Sanju, who was also involved in the gangrape,” added Mr Singh
The two teenagers have been sent to correction home for boys, while efforts are on to identify and nab the other absconding alleged accused. The baby is premature and has been admitted to the ICU of LBS hospital.
“The victim has been sent to ‘Nari Niketan’. She has been counselled with members of an NGO. We are also planning a skill development plan for her rehabilitation,” said the DCP.
