Boxing coach held for repeatedly raping student in train during event stay

A 19-year-old boxer was repeatedly raped and molested by her coach between February-end and early-March, the Delhi Police said on Tuesday after arresting the suspect

A 19-year-old boxer was repeatedly raped and molested by her coach between February-end and early-March, the Delhi Police said on Tuesday after arresting the suspect who runs a boxing academy

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Deputy commissioner of police (railways) Harendra Singh identified the arrested coach as 28-year-old Sandeep Malik. “He runs a boxing academy named Sandeep Malik Boxing Club in Sonepat,” the DCP said.

The repeated sexual assaults began on February 27 when Malik was accompanying a group of his students to Kolkata where they were representing Haryana in a national boxing competition, ‘3rd Bengal Boxing Classic 2020’, from February 29 to March 3, the DCP said.

“They were travelling in the Duronto Express train from Delhi to Kolkata. The first time the coach raped the woman was inside the train when it left Delhi on February 27,” the DCP said. Malik allegedly used the proximity of their berths to assault the woman.

The rape and molestation continued in Kolkata over the next four days in the room where the survivor stayed and in the common areas, the DCP said.

The survivor lives in a west Delhi neighbourhood and approached the local police station last Thursday.

“The local police registered a zero FIR and referred the case to the Delhi Railway Police since the rape begun in the train in the national capital,” the DCP said.

Malik was booked for rape and molestation. The woman was medically examined and her statement recorded in front of a magistrate in the court, where she reaffirmed her allegations, the DCP said.

Malik was finally arrested from Sonepat on Monday. “He has confessed to the crime,” the DCP said.

The DCP said they will probe if Malik used to abuse other students as well. “We did not immediately contact the other women in his academy, lest he gets alerted and escape. We’ll probe if he is a habitual offender,” Singh said.

HT tried to reach Malik’s academy for a response, but the two phone numbers mentioned on the Facebook account of the club run by him were unreachable. An email sent to him too did not elicit a response.