2 men held for gang-raping minor girl near Tilak Bridge railway tracks in Delhi

A 17-year-old girl from Gujarat was gang raped in the bushes along the railway tracks near Tilak Bridge in central Delhi in the early hours of Monday allegedly by two men selling water bottles at New Delhi railway station, the railway wing of Delhi Police said, adding that both the suspects have been arrested

A 17-year-old girl from Gujarat was gang raped in the bushes along the railway tracks near Tilak Bridge in central Delhi in the early hours of Monday allegedly by two men selling water bottles at New Delhi railway station, the railway wing of Delhi Police said, adding that both the suspects have been arrested.

HT Image

Police identified the arrested men as Hardeep Nagar, a 21-year-old resident of Faridabad in Haryana, and Rahul (age unknown) from Agra in Uttar Pradesh, and said they got a medical examination of the girl and the two suspects conducted. On the basis of the girl’s statement and the medical examination reports, police registered a case under sections 376D and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at the New Delhi railway station, the police said.

According to police, the girl had come to the New Delhi railway station from Lucknow with a 25-year-old man to board a train to Gujarat on Sunday night. However, the two missed their train and started arguing, after which the man left her at the station. As she was looking for him, two waterbottle sellers met her and took her to an isolated place along the railway tracks near Tilak Bridge and took turns to rape her, the police said.

About the sequence of the events leading to the gangrape, deputy commissioner of police (railways) Harendra Kumar Singh said that the girl had met the 25-year-old man at Chandigarh, where she had gone to with her family members from Gujarat and stayed there between July 18 and 25 for some religious rituals. The man accompanied the family members back to their Gujarat home and lived with them till August 3.

On August 4, the girl left with him to visit his village in Gonda in Uttar Pradesh, where they reached via train and taxi journey on August 6. The two left for Delhi the same day and reached New Delhi railway station on Sunday (August 7) afternoon. They had to board a train for Gujarat at 9.40pm but missed it. An argument took place between them over that issue after which the man left her at the station. After some time she started searching for him in the station premises, the DCP said.

“While she was on the central foot overbridge, two hawkers (waterbottle sellers) met her. She requested them to make a call at her home. They made her talk to her brother on the mobile phone. The brother asked them to help her catch a train. They told her that the train will be available from some other station. They took her to some bushes along the track near Tilak Bridge, where they raped her,” said DCP Singh.

Deputy commissioner of police (railways) Harendra Kumar Singh said that the girl requested the two men to bring her back to the Ajmeri Gate side of the railway station early Monday. They were present at the spot when the 25-year-old man returned. The two men scolded him for abandoning her. An argument between the men ensued.

“A police team on patrol spotted them arguing. Subsequently, all of them were brought to the police station, where the girl accused the two men of gang raping her. Accordingly, police registered a case and arrested the two hawkers. Forensic experts collected evidence from the scene of the crime. Further investigation is on,” added DCP Singh.

Around a fortnight ago, a 30-year-old woman was gang raped by two railway employees in a train lighting hut meant for railway electrical maintenance staff while two others guarded the room at New Delhi railway station premises. All four railway employees were arrested and dismissed from their services.