East Delhi gang rape: Police register FIR on complaint filed a week before incident

DCP (Shahdara) S Sathiyasundaram admitted that they received a complaint from the 17-year-old girl on January 19, and added that they registered an FIR on Saturday.

Days after a 21-year-old woman was allegedly abducted, gang-raped and publicly humiliated in east Delhi, police on Saturday registered a fresh FIR against the accused family on a complaint filed by the victim’s younger sister a week before the incident.

A 21-year-old woman was allegedly abducted, gang-raped and publicly humiliated in east Delhi on January 26. (Picture for representation only)

Deputy commissioner police (Shahdara) S Sathiyasundaram admitted that they received a complaint from the 17-year-old girl on January 19, and added that they registered an FIR on Saturday. “Amongst the sections that have been invoked are those of molestation, assault, and mischief caused by fire. We are investigating this incident as well and will be taking appropriate action. The accused named in this case are common as those in the recent incident,” said the DCP. He did not explain why there was a delay in filing the FIR.

On January 19, a week before the 21-year-old woman was subject to the atrocities allegedly by her former neighbours, the 17-year-old sister had approached the police, alleging that she was being constantly troubled by the accused. HT had earlier reported the teenager’s claim regarding approaching police on January 19 to no avail.

In her complaint, the teenager said that she had been living in fear in her house with her paralysed father. She alleged that the accused family thrashed her and tore her clothes on January 19, in an effort to extract the whereabouts of her sister.

The accused family blamed the 21-year-old woman, who was married, for the death by suicide of a teenaged relative. The victim’s family had alleged that the boy was stalking the victim despite the latter rejecting his advances.

“We have an auto but these people set our auto on fire as well. I also run a small shop of groceries but they don’t even let me work there. They come and threaten me. Whenever I step out of the house, the boys in the accused family sexually harass me, tear off my clothes and don’t stop even when I plead,” the girl said in her complaint.

Adding to this, she further stated in her complaint that when she warns them that she would inform the police, they threaten her back saying that the police won’t be able to harm them as they would pay them a bribe. “When I go out to buy vegetables, they start following me. These people sell liquor to run their livelihood but what do I do when they don’t let me do anything? They don’t let any guests come to our house as well. I request the police to take action and help me,” the woman stated in her complaint to the police.