NEW DELHI: Three men, including one who was injured in an exchange of fire with police, were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl in Astha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir after posing as policemen and threatening the girl and her friend, officials said.
Accused Asif was allegedly among the three men who posed as policemen and took the girl away at gunpoint to a secluded part of the Park on Monday evening. Two other two accused—Hemant, a lawyer, and his brother Mukesh, a final year BSc Mathematics student, were also arrested from their house and are being questioned. They are natives of Faridabad and reside in Sri Niwaspuri in Delhi, officials said.
Asif allegedly fired three rounds at a police team when it tried to intercept him near the DM Office Road in Amar Colony early Tuesday. One bullet hit the bulletproof jacket of Head Constable Rajesh. In self-defence, Rajesh fired two rounds, one of which hit Asif in his right leg, police said. The accused was shifted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre for treatment, the officials said. According to the girl’s statement, she and her friend had visited the temple for darshan and later entered the park through Gate No.7.
A senior police official said a PCR call was received at 8:45 pm on Monday regarding the girl, who had come to Delhi with her friend. They first went to the temple to offer prayers and then to the Astha Kunj Park. Three men allegedly approached them, claiming to be policemen, and used “police and lawyer-like” language. They told the two that they were minors, were doing something wrong and that a case could be registered against them, the officer added.
The accused separated the girl from her friend and took her to a secluded area. They allegedly held down the boy while the others assaulted the girl. Asif allegedly threatened the girl with a firearm and knife and raped her. The other two accused allegedly raped her, after which the three men threatened the girl and her friend, according to the complaint.
The girl was medically examined at AIIMS, while crime and forensic teams examined the scene and collected clues. An FIR was registered at Amar Colony police station under relevant sections of the BNS and POCSO Act.
Several teams were formed to trace the accused. During the investigation, police received information about Asif’s movement near DM Office Road, laid a trap and arrested him following the exchange of fire, officials said. The park is open from several sides, while portions of its boundary wall have collapsed. Some gates are not manned by guards and some areas are poorly lit, he added.
The DDA, which has jurisdiction over the park, said nine security guards are deployed in each shift, along with supervisory and patrolling arrangements. It said lighting installations are functional and inspected regularly. Following the incident, the DDA said it had strengthened security arrangements.