NEW DELHI: A sweeper has been arrested for allegedly raping an 87-year-old bedridden woman after breaking into her house in west Delhi’s Tilak Nagar, police said on Tuesday. The accused identified as Ankit (30) worked in Tilak Nagar’s nearby areas. The incident took place on Sunday night when the woman’s daughter had gone out to meet a friend, the police said.
In a tweet, Delhi Police said, “The case of sexual assault of an elderly woman in Tilak Nagar has been solved. Culprit in this blind case nabbed within 16 hours. Victim’s mobile phone recovered from him. Accused lives in nearby locality and works as a sweeper (sic).”
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Prashant Gautam said the police received a report on Monday regarding the sexual assault of a woman. “Soon after receiving the information, we deployed a team and managed to nab the accused within 16 hours,” he said. The accused was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. An investigation is underway to ascertain the exact motive behind the crime, the police said.
The police had set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter. A case has been registered under sections 380 (theft in dwelling house, etc.), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 376 (Punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), according to officials.
The elderly woman’s family members had alleged that the police delayed action and did not take their complaint seriously, a charge denied by officials. Police had said that only a complaint of theft was lodged on Sunday and a case was registered “promptly” on its basis at Tilak Nagar police station.
On Monday, the complainant alleged that she was sexually assaulted and the relevant IPC sections were added to the case, the police said. According to the woman’s family members, the accused broke into the house. After the elderly woman spotted and questioned him, he said he worked with a gas agency and was called to the house for some work, the police had said.