New Delhi, Sept. 18: A girl was allegedly gang-raped and murdered in north Delhi, with police apprehending four persons, including three juveniles, after tracing a suspected tempo through surveillance footage, officials said. The victim, a 16-year-old, was found dead in a severely decomposed condition in an open area of Swaroop Nagar on September 13.
Police said the body was discovered near Jaipal Rana’s field along Kushak Road. The condition of the remains was such that investigators could not initially establish the victim’s gender. Parts of the body had also been eaten by stray dogs, while one hand was found detached from the rest of the body.
According to police, the victim knew the accused and had travelled with them in a tempo. During the journey, the group allegedly consumed alcohol before sexually assaulting her. Investigators said she was subsequently stabbed to death and her body abandoned in the open field.
The case came under investigation without an apparent eyewitness, while the identities of the suspects were initially unknown. Police also said the victim’s family had not filed a missing-person complaint. During questioning, her relatives told investigators that she would sometimes leave home and return after staying away for several days.
Police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Investigators then examined CCTV footage from the suspected crime scene and adjoining routes to trace the movements linked to the incident.
Police analysed footage from more than 50 CCTV cameras and noticed a tempo in the vicinity during the relevant period. Its registration number could not initially be identified because of darkness and poor visibility. Investigators tracked the vehicle through footage recorded at several locations.
A night-long operation during the intervening night of September 15 and 16 led police to trace the suspected tempo. Investigators then identified and questioned its driver, following which four persons allegedly connected with the incident were apprehended.
The adult accused was identified as Shivam, alias Sudama, alias Chuchu, a resident of Khadda Colony, police said. The three juveniles apprehended in the case are aged 16 and 17.
Police said investigators recovered two knives allegedly used during the crime, clothes purportedly worn by the accused and the tempo.
Further investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events, determine the individual roles of those apprehended and verify forensic and technical evidence, police said.
