Three gang rape 25-yr-old in car after tiff with her brother in Aya Nagar

The arrested men were identified as residents of Aya Nagar and live nearly 300 metres away from the woman’s house. The woman and her brother had identified the suspects and had noted down the SUV’s registration number, which helped the investigating team locate and nab the suspects.

A 25-year-old woman was allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted by three men in south Delhi’s Aya Nagar early on Friday morning after she allegedly intervened in a fight that her brother was having with the men over giving passage to their vehicle.

Students of Bombay veterinary college protest against growing incidents of rape in the country. ( Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times Archive)

Barely half an hour later, and less than a kilometre ahead, the same trio fought with a truck driver and four labourers over the same issue and robbed the trucker of his purse containing ₹30,000, his driving licence, Aadhaar card and ATM card, the police said.

Late in the evening on Friday, the three suspects were finally arrested from a forested area in Aya Nagar, where they were hiding, police said. The SUV used in abducting the woman was also recovered, along with the truck driver’s purse and ₹5,200 of the looted money, said deputy commissioner of police (south) Atul Thakur.

The arrested men were identified as residents of Aya Nagar and live nearly 300 metres away from the woman’s house. The woman and her brother had identified the suspects and had noted down the SUV’s registration number, which helped the investigating team locate and nab the suspects, the police said.

Around 3am on Friday, DCP Thakur said, the woman’s brother was walking in a lane near his house when three men arrived in a white Scorpio car and entered into an altercation with him over giving passage to their vehicle.

“As the woman intervened and tried to save her brother, the three men forcefully bundled her in their car and started sexually assaulting her, even as her brother raised the alarm and alerted the neighbours,” said DCP Thakur.

The police said that later, the suspects let go of the woman and fled as the brother had raised the alarm and sought help from neighbours. At 3.36 am, the police control room was informed about the crime. A police team arrived and took the woman to a hospital for medical examination.

While the police were carrying out an enquiry at the spot, at 4.06 am, the police control room received another call regarding a robbery committed by three men travelling in a white Scorpio car. Another police team reached the crime scene — that was less than a kilometre from the place where the woman was sexually assaulted.

The caller Shahzad, a truck driver, told the police that he along with four labourers were unloading bricks from his truck when three men arrived in an SUV and started abusing and assaulting them over giving passage to their vehicle. Shahzad alleged that the trio robbed his purse containing ₹30,000 and other documents, the DCP said.

“On the basis of the woman’s complaint and her medical examination, we registered a case of gang-rape, abduction, and criminal intimidation under Indian Penal Code Sections 376D, 365 and 506. The second case of robbery and common intention was registered on Shahzad’s complaint,” said DCP Thakur.

During the investigation of the cases, the DCP said, it was revealed that both the crimes were committed by the same three men travelling in a white Scorpio car. Multiple teams were formed and a manhunt was launched to nab the suspects and recover the vehicle. They scanned CCTV cameras to identify the routes the vehicle had taken. Since the woman and her brothers had identified the suspects, the police had to ensure that the three were caught before they could leave the city, said a police officer, who did not want to be named.

Through human intelligence network, the police located the vehicle that was parked at a dwelling house in Aya Nagar. The suspects were arrested from a forested area late in the evening. None of them had previous criminal records. All three are into the business of building construction materials supply, the police said.