NEW DELHI: Yet again, the year started on a dismal note for the national capital. Four people, including three minors gang-raped a 12-year-old girl on the terrace of a building in north Delhi. The incident came a year after a woman died after being dragged by a car in north Delhi. The incident took place on January 2 in the Sadar Bazar area. The man and woman who had lured the girl to the secluded spot were arrested and the three accused teenagers were apprehended.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) MK Meena said the victim, who is a resident of a JJ cluster in Bawana, had come to Sadar Bazar area for picking up garbage. She met a known woman named Beauty, who asked her to come along. Beauty asked the victim to pick garbage from the rooftop of one of the buildings at Khurshid Market, Pan Mandi, Sadar Bazar on January 2. When the victim reached there, she found a makeshift tarpaulin tent.“All the four accused were there and raped the victim one by one,” the DCP said.
The DCP said that the matter came to light a couple of days after the incident as the girl was threatened not to disclose about it. “The victim was threatened of dire consequences if she would report the matter to anyone,” said the police officer.“The girl again came to the Sadar Bazar area on January 4 to collect garbage and shared the incident with her cousin who later informed others and the matter was reported to the police,” the officer added.
It was revealed that Suresh had asked Beauty, who is a rag picker, to bring a girl so that they can celebrate the New Year. Subsequently, Beauty took the victim to the secluded spot where she was allegedly gang-raped.Accordingly, the police registered a case under relevant sections of the IPC and POCSO Act. The tea stall owner, identified as Suresh, and the woman who lured her were arrested. The three accused juveniles, aged 12, 14 and 15 years were apprehended, the police officer said. The victims medical examination and a counselling session have been conducted, the police added.
The annual report of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reveals that crimes against women in India has seen manifold rise. A whopping 4,45,256 cases were registered in 2022 alone, which is equivalent to nearly 51 FIRs filed every hour. This is a staggering rise in crimes against women registered in 2021 and 2020.The rate of crimes against women per lakh population stood at 66.4 while the charge sheeting in such cases was logged at 75.8, showed NCRB data.