5-year-old raped, undergoes surgery; suspect held

Police arrested the suspect, who hails from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh and is a daily wage earner, after they found a CCTV footage in which he can be seen taking the girl to an area full of bushes.

A five-year-old girl had to be operated on after she was raped by her 25-year-old neighbour, who lured her with a juice box and took her to a secluded place near Dwarka Sector 26 on Tuesday afternoon.

A five-year-old girl had to be operated on after she was raped by her 25-year-old neighbour, who lured her with a juice box and took her to a secluded place near Dwarka Sector 26 on Tuesday afternoon. (HT File (Representative Image))

Police arrested the suspect, who hails from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh and is a daily wage earner, after they found a CCTV footage in which he can be seen taking the girl to an area full of bushes. The girl is seen holding a box of mango flavoured beverage, police said.

According to police, the suspect left the girl at the spot after sexually assaulting her as she had lost consciousness. The child reportedly walked to the nearby main road after regaining consciousness and was rescued by a passerby, who saw her bleeding and called police.

The girl was first admitted to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) hospital from where she was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital on Thursday. “The child’s private parts were severely injured because of the assault and needed surgical repair. She is now conscious, stable and out of danger, but we will monitor her condition closely for the next week to 10 days. The Delhi Commission for Women has ensured a counsellor stays with her 24x7,” Dr Sunil Gupta, medical superintendent, Safdarjung Hospital, said.

According to the officer, they found a footage in which they saw the girl, who had a juice box, walking with a man.

The police took photos of the suspect and the victim and showed them to the villagers for identification.

The suspect was arrested and booked under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and POCSO Act. The man reportedly confessed to the crime, police said.