9-year-old girl abducted, raped, killed in north Delhi

Police said that the girl’s body is yet to be found, and divers have been deployed in the Munak canal to search for the remains

A nine-year-old girl living in a rented accommodation with her family in north Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar was raped and murdered by her 52-year-old landlord on December 12, and her body was allegedly dumped in the Munak canal, police officers aware of the case said on Tuesday, adding that the accused has been arrested.

Local residents blocked traffic on GT Karnal Road while protesting against the crime. (HT Photo)

Police said that the girl’s body is yet to be found, and divers have been deployed in the canal to search for the remains.

Meanwhile, the girl’s family and her neighbours blocked the GT Karnal Road near Swaroop Nagar for 3-4 hours, demanding the strictest of punishments for the accused, and the quick recovery of the victim’s remains. The protesters later dispersed after assurances by police that they are trying their best to find the body

Giving details of the case, officers associated with the case said that the girl lived with her parents — both factory workers — and two younger brothers at the rented house. On December 12, the girl’s mother fed the children, left for work at around 1.30pm, taking her youngest child — a 2-year-old boy — with her.

According to family, the middle child — a 6-year-old boy — fell asleep after lunch, and when he woke up at around 5pm, he couldn’t find his sister and started crying. “A neighbour saw him and stayed with him for half an hour, but then took him to my wife’s factory and said that my daughter was missing,” the minor’s father said.

At around 8.30pm, the girl’s parents filed a police complaint at the Swaroop Nagar police station, following which a first information report under Indian Penal Code section 363 (punishment for kidnapping) was registered and investigation was taken up.

Police said that during the probe, CCTV footage was obtained and analysed, and in one video segment, the girl was seen stepping into a car with a man.

“He became the last person who saw the girl and our prime suspect. When we showed the footage to the parents, they identified him as their landlord and on December 15, we visited his house,” deputy commissioner of police (outer north) Ravi Kumar Singh said.

When police reached the landlord’s house, they were informed that he had met with an accident near Bakoli in Alipur and was admitted in the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Rohini. “He was unfit for statement at the time,” the officer said.

On December 17, the accused was able to make a statement, and during sustained questioning, he revealed that he had raped and killed her.

“He said he took her in his car on December 12 and raped her inside the car itself. He then got scared and decided to kill her. After killing her, he said he threw her body in the Munak canal,” the officer said.

After his statement, IPC sections 364 (kidnapping in order to commit murder), 302 (murder), and 201 (destruction of evidence), along with provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act were added to the original FIR.

On December 18, the landlord was discharged from hospital, after which his statement was formally recorded and early on Tuesday, he was arrested, police said.

However, police said, it is unclear how the girl was killed as the accused is changing versions.

Meanwhile, Singh said that five divers were deployed to search for the girl’s body of the girl in the canal on December 17, and diver from Khajuri Khas were also brought in on Tuesday for the search, but the remains are yet to be found. “Teams have been formed to check his entire route on December 12 to collect evidence and to cross-check the sequence he has shared,” the DCP said.