Sarojini Nagar: 3 beat boy, held under Pocso Act

The incident came to light after two videos—reportedly recorded by the accused themselves—were widely circulated on WhatsApp.

Three men, all vendors at Sarojini Nagar market in south Delhi, were arrested on Tuesday and booked under various provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and the Juvenile Justice Act after two disturbing videos emerged of them assaulting, stripping, and threatening a nine-year-old boy at the market on Sunday.

The assault occurred on Sunday after the vendors allegedly suspected the boy of petty thefts in the market, police said. (Archive)

The assault occurred on Sunday after the vendors allegedly suspected the boy, a Class 3 student and a native of Nepal, of petty thefts in the market, police said. The incident came to light after two videos—reportedly recorded by the accused themselves—were widely circulated on WhatsApp.

The accused—identified as Pankaj Kumar, Pradeep Kumar, and Vishal Singh—were booked under Section 12 (sexual harassment) of Pocso Act, Section 75 (cruelty to children) JJ Act, and various criminal charges, including assault and wrongful confinement.

In the first video, one of the men is seen forcibly unzipping the boy’s pants while another films the act. The child, stripped of his shirt, is heard crying and pleading as the accused hurl abuses and attempt to remove his trousers. One of them is heard saying, “Show me your underwear,” while another pours a liquid into the boy’s pants.

The second clip shows the boy being shoved into a car, where one of the assailants slams his head against the steering wheel, triggering the horn. A voice in the background taunts, “He will die inside the car because of the summer.” Another threatens, “I will kill you.”

Deputy commissioner of police (southwest) Amit Goel confirmed that the videos were brought to their attention through WhatsApp.

“We identified the victim, a nine-year-old boy whose mother works as a cook in the market. After recording his statement, we registered a case under POCSO, the Juvenile Justice Act, and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” he said. “We called the family and took the statement of the boy. We identified all the accused and arrested them” said the DCP.

The three accused—Pankaj Kumar (a clothes vendor) and his aides, Pradeep Kumar and Vishal Singh—were swiftly arrested.

A senior police officer stated that while this appears to be their first such offense, the brutality of the act warranted strict legal action. “We don’t think they have done this before. On Sunday, they suspected the boy of committing some small thefts and grabbed him. They assaulted him for some time and tortured him before threatening him,” the officer said.