17-year-old girl gang-raped in north-east Delhi, three suspects arrested

Police said the girl’s brother-in-law suffered cuts in his palm while trying to fight off the alleged rapists, but the injury was not serious.

Three men allegedly gang-raped a 17-year-old girl at knife-point in front of her brother-in-law while the duo was returning to their home in north-east Delhi after visiting a relative’s on Tuesday night, the police said.

The three suspects were arrested on Wednesday morning after the police identified them through CCTV footage, said Alok Kumar, joint commissioner of police (eastern range). (HT Archives. Representative image)

The three suspects were arrested on Wednesday morning after the police identified them through CCTV footage, said Alok Kumar, joint commissioner of police (eastern range).

Police said the girl’s brother-in-law suffered cuts in his palm while trying to fight off the alleged rapists, but the injury was not serious.

The crime took place around 10pm on Tuesday. “They got off a bus near Mandoli Jail and were walking through a deserted street when the three suspects accosted them and harassed the girl,” said another senior police officer who didn’t want to be identified.

“When the girl admonished them, they pulled out knives and forcibly led the duo to an under-construction building nearby where the three raped the teenager,” said the officer.

As soon as the suspects fled on a motorcycle, the victims raised an alarm, drawing the attention of a police team patrolling nearby.

“Based on the description provided by the survivor, the police team immediately began hunting for the suspects and soon spotted them not far from the crime spot. The police launched a chase that lasted three kilometres before the suspects found themselves cornered. They abandoned their motorcycle and ran into the streets and disappeared,” said JCP Kumar.

The police recovered the survivor’s robbed purse from the spot where the motorcycle was left abandoned. Tracking registration of the bike, the police got to know that it had been stolen.

“We then checked CCTV footage from the crime spot to the point they left their motorcycle. One camera had captured the suspects. We showed the images to local residents and people with criminal records. That helped us identify them,” said JCP Kumar.

The officer identified the suspects as Rajeev, Shehzad and Ikram – all aged between 25 and 30 and residents of north-east Delhi and Ghaziabad.

While Rajeev had once been arrested under the Arms Act by the south-east Delhi district police, the other two men had no criminal antecedents.

The police have registered a case of gang rape, robbery and assault at Harsh Vihar police station.