Delhi man rapes 8-year-old in park while his teenaged daughter ‘witnesses crime’

The accused allegedly lured the girl to an unused open gym in Kamla Market area. His teenaged daughter, who was playing nearby, is believed to have witnessed the crime.

A man allegedly raped an eight-year-old girl on Saturday in a public park in central Delhi’s Kamla Market while his own teenage daughter was playing a few metres away, police said.

Representative Image | The accused is a widower and lives with two of his daughters in Kamla Market area in Delhi. He works as a cleaner at a public toilet in the area. (HT FILE PHOTO)

The victim has been medically examined and counselled by experts, said police. The daughter of the accused too is likely to be counselled as she is believed to have witnessed the crime allegedly committed by her father.

The accused is a widower and lives with two of his daughters in Kamla Market area in Delhi. He works as a cleaner at a public toilet in the area.

Read: Delhi girl who saw father rape her 8-year-old friend in trauma, getting medical help

He was out at a local park with his daughter who was playing with her friends. “In between, he lured an eight-year-old girl to an unused open gym nearby and began sexually abusing her using his fingers,” said a police investigator.

When the victim returned home, she was crying. When her mother asked her for the reason, she revealed it all, forcing her parents to call the police.

It did not take long for the police to identify the accused. He was arrested and booked for rape and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

While the daughter of the accused has not given a statement against her father so far, the police are waiting for the girl to be counselled to see if there was any possibility of her becoming a witness in the case.

“We will do as directed by the courts. For now, our attention is ensuring that the rape victim as well as the daughter of the accused are able to recover from what they experienced,” said an investigator.