Delivery van driver held for raping girl in Delhi’s Burari

The incident happened late on Thursday when the girl was walking with her friend, who was also a minor

A 19-year-old delivery van driver was arrested after a 13-year-old girl alleged that she was raped and threatened by him in his vehicle in Ajit Vihar near Burari in north Delhi on Thursday night, the Delhi Police said on Sunday.

Police said that the girl initially did not tell anyone in the family because she was scared. But when her family asked her why she was late, the victim told them what happened. (Representational Image.Getty Images)

“The crime was reported to the police on Saturday, after which a case was registered under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and Section 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act at the Burari police station,” said Sagar Singh Kalsi, deputy commissioner of police (north).

“We identified the suspect and arrested him on Saturday. The name of the suspect is not being disclosed at this moment because we want to verify and be sure that he is not a minor. He was known to a friend of the survivor,” said DCP Kalsi.

The DCP said that according to the complaint, the incident happened late on Thursday when the girl was walking with her friend, who was also a minor. The girls saw the driver in the three-wheeler he used for delivering goods and the girl’s friend requested a ride.

“After initial reluctance, the driver agreed. A few minutes later, he dropped the victim’s friend at her home and then took the girl to an isolated place in Ajit Vihar, where he raped her inside the vehicle and threatened her with dire consequences if she told anyone about it,” added the DCP. “Apart from arresting the suspect, we have also seized the delivery van inside which the crime happened.”

Police said that the girl initially did not tell anyone in the family because she was scared. But when her family asked her why she was late, the victim told them what happened. The family then took her to the police station, police said.

Another police officer associated with the case said, “The girl was provided with medical attention and counselling through a counsellor. The FIR was registered under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and Pocso Act and the accused was arrested. We are now trying to ascertain if the suspect was previously involved in similar crimes”.