In Delhi, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped, stabbed to death, and her body dumped in an open field by four people, including three minors. The brutality of the case has shocked investigators, as the body had decomposed so severely that its gender could not be immediately identified, and parts of it had been eaten by stray dogs.
The Gruesome Discovery
According to police, the decomposed body of the victim was found near Jaipal Rana’s field on Kushak Road in the Swaroop Nagar area of Northwest Delhi on September 13. The body had decayed to such an extent that one of her hands was found separated from the torso. Police said the girl had not been reported missing by her family. When questioned, her family told investigators that she would often leave home and return after a few days, which is why they had not filed a missing person complaint.
A Night of Drinking That Ended in Brutality
Investigators have pieced together the sequence of events leading to the crime. Police said the girl and the accused persons were known to each other. On the fateful night, they allegedly drank alcohol together inside a tempo before the girl was sexually assaulted. The accused then stabbed her to death and disposed of her body in the open field. A case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
CCTV Trail Leads to Arrests
The investigation was challenging as there were no apparent eyewitnesses and the identity of the perpetrators was initially unknown. Police teams adopted a meticulous approach, analysing footage from more than 50 CCTV cameras covering the area and adjoining routes. During the analysis, investigators noticed a tempo moving near the scene around the relevant time. Its registration number was not clearly visible due to darkness, prompting investigators to track its movement across multiple CCTV locations.
A night-long search operation was conducted during the intervening night of September 15 and 16. The suspected tempo was eventually traced to Khadda Colony in the Swaroop Nagar area. Its driver was identified and questioned, which led to the apprehension of four persons allegedly linked to the crime.
Accused Identified and Evidence Recovered
The adult accused has been identified as Shivam alias Sudama alias Chuchu, a resident of Khadda Colony. The three juveniles apprehended in the case are aged 16 and 17. Police have recovered two knives allegedly used in the crime, the clothes allegedly worn by the accused, and the tempo used to transport the victim.
“The investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events, ascertain the individual roles of those apprehended, and verify the forensic and technical evidence,” a police official said. Further investigation is ongoing as authorities work to build a watertight case against all four accused.
