Hauz Khas rape: Dyed hair of suspect’s friend gave Delhi cops breakthrough

Raja’s juvenile friend, also a school dropout like him, was captured by a CCTV camera outside a restaurant in Hauz Khas village.

Though the police had a clear description of the suspect in the Hauz Khas rape, it was the dyed hair of his juvenile friend that finally help investigators in identifying Raja.

Raja allegedly tricked the victim into accompanying him to the Deer Park where he raped her. (Arun Sharma/HT PHOTO)

Raja’s juvenile friend, also a school dropout like him, was captured by a CCTV camera outside a restaurant in Hauz Khas village.

To get to Raja, identifying his minor friend was crucial as the duo had both approached the victim and her cousin, offering to drop them home around 1.45 am on Sunday.

Police said that the boy, however, had no role in the crime as he had helped the other woman reach home safely even as Raja allegedly tricked the victim into accompanying him to the Deer Park where he raped her.

“We had only a vague photo of the boy. The footage showed he had dyed his hair with mehandi. That helped us zero in on youngsters with similar hair styles,” a senior investigator told HT.

“Despite the shock, the victim was strong and helped identify the accused. She was able to give a clear description of the accused,” said RP Upadhyay, Joint CP (South-Eastern Range).

Raja, who was thrown out by his mother a few months ago, had not returned home after the crime. “Since we knew Raja had very little money, we were certain it would be difficult for him to leave the city,” said an investigator.

The police launched a combing operation in Arjun Nagar and nearby localities after the crime was reported, said Ishwar Singh, DCP (South).

Investigation at the local level led police to a park where Raja was found sleeping. He was in the same clothes that he wore at the time of the crime. A head injury, inflicted by the victim with a stone in her attempt to fight him, confirmed he was the same man.

“We recovered the victim’s iphone from him and Rs 450 of the Rs 600 he had stolen from her purse,” said the DCP. Police claimed blood from Raja’s injured head was found on the victim’s clothes.

These and some other crucial evidence were strong enough to nail the accused, said the DCP. “We will chargesheet him within a month,” Singh told HT.