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Minor abducted by rape accused in Delhi, rescued by cops
The suspect and the girl were found 18 hours later and the man was arrested
A man accused in two rape cases allegedly kidnapped a 10-year-old girl from north-east Delhi’s Nand Nagri to sexually assault her but the child was rescued before he could carry out his plan, the Delhi Police said on Thursday.
It was the lack of space and the company of one of his daughters which prevented the suspect from carrying out his plan, and averted a tragedy for the minor girl, despite her being with him for 18 hours, said Joy Tirkey, deputy commissioner of police (north-east). The suspect and the girl were found at Ghazipur mandi on Tuesday, after which he was arrested.
Police identified the suspect as Mohammad Ikbal, 28.
“Ikbal was wanted in two rape cases registered in Bijnor (UP) earlier this year and in 2021. We are investigating if he targeted more women or girls. He has admitted to kidnapping the child with an intention to sexually assault her,” said the DCP.
The girl lives with her parents in Loni, UP, and was staying at her uncle’s house in Nand Nagri over the past few days. Around 9pm on Monday, her family informed the police that she was missing and suspected that she was kidnapped. When the police scanned CCTVs around the area, the girl was seen with Ikbal, said the DCP.
“Ikbal worked as an air conditioner mechanic. A preliminary inquiry about Ikbal’s past sent the police into a tizzy. Apart from a case of theft under the Indian Penal Code and another under the Arms Act, Ikbal was booked in two rape cases – all registered in Bijnor,” police added.
The Delhi Police said one of the previous cases involved a woman he had allegedly lured from Bijnor and raped at a rented accommodation in Delhi in April.
“We were worried that the child was sexually assaulted by him,” said the DCP. The fact that Ikbal carried no phone with him and his Delhi relatives were away in Bijnor for a funeral made investigations difficult. “We sent police teams to scan the CCTV footage on the routes he took and searched parks, bus stands, and railway stations,” the officer added.
Police said they learnt that Ikbal had rented a room in Mulla Colony in Ghazipur.
“We learnt that it was the same room where Ikbal had allegedly raped the woman earlier this year,” the officer said. Police arrived at the address with photographs of the child and Ikbal and was told by the house owner that he was there with the child and one of his daughters.
“The owner grew suspicious on seeing the minor girl with Ikbal. When he wanted the key to his room, which he usually left with the owner, the latter refused and said he will only give it to Ikbal if he was accompanied by another adult member of the family. So, he loitered around and eventually spent the night in Ghazipur Mandi with the girls,” Tirkey said.
The officer said that it was the lack of a room and his daughter that prevented the sexual assault. “The girl’s medical examination has revealed that she was not sexually assaulted,” the officer said.
