CCTV helps nab Delhi man who abused at least 4 minors

The serial sexual assaults come in the wake of a similar crime in a south Delhi private school by its sweeper who allegedly sexually assaulted four girls over several days earlier this month.

A 20-year-old tailor sexually assaulted at least four minor girls in one neighbourhood in outer Delhi’s Najafgarh over the last week, the police said on Monday.

CCTV camera footage of Pawan Kumar that led to his arrest. (Sourced)

The multiple complaints against the suspect, Pawan Kumar, came to light after CCTV camera footage helped lead to his arrest for the sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl in a neighbourhood bordering Dwarka on Saturday, the police said.

“Once he was arrested, parents of three more girls approached the police to complain that he had sexually assaulted their children too over the last week. One of them did not want to file a police case,” a senior police officer, who is not authorised to speak to the media, said.

Anto Alphonse, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), said that three first information reports had been registered against Pawan. “We have booked him for kidnapping and criminal intimidation as well as under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act,” the DCP said.

The serial sexual assaults come in the wake of a similar crime in a south Delhi private school by its sweeper who allegedly sexually assaulted four girls over several days earlier this month.

The latest crime came to light when a 10-year-old girl went missing on Saturday morning while out to buy sugar. “After investigation, we found that a man on a motorcycle kidnapped her on the pretext of taking her to her mother. He took her to an isolated spot near a park and sexually assaulted her. When the girl began crying, he dropped her near a hospital and fled,” another police officer said.

Meanwhile, the girl’s family alerted the local beat officer, head constable Prem Prakash, of her disappearance. “By the time the head constable reached the girl’s house, she had returned home and narrated her ordeal. She was counselled and medically examined. A case was registered at Najafgarh police station,” the officer said.

Based on the man’s description provided by the girl, the police checked the CCTV camera footage in the neighbourhood to spot the suspect riding away on a motorcycle. “The suspect’s face and his motorcycle’s registration number were clearly captured by a camera. The girl identified him as the assaulter,” the officer said.

The motorcycle’s registration number helped the police identify the suspect as one Pawan Kumar, who lives with his family in nearby Ranhola and helps his father with his tailoring work. He was arrested near his home the same day.

Once the news of Kumar’s arrest spread, parents of three more girls approached the police with similar complaints. “The parents of these other girls knew about their daughters being sexually assaulted by him, but were afraid to report them,” the officer said.

The other girls are aged between 12 and 14 years. The police said that Kumar’s role in all the three cases registered against him has been confirmed.

Kumar’s interrogation revealed that his girlfriend had broken up with him over a month ago. “He told us that he began targeting minor girls because he was angry after the breakup,” the officer said.

“He would ride his motorcycle to the neighbourhood located about two km from his home and target minor girls. He believed that people there wouldn’t recognise him,” the officer said, adding that Kumar has no other criminal cases against him.