Evoking horrific memories of the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape case, and the 2002 Maulana Azad Medical College student rape case that shook the Nation, three men allegedly gangraped a 34-year-old researcher and social worker at midnight on October 10, near Rajghat in the heart of the National Capital.
The police arrested the third accused on November 4, the first two had been arrested on November 2 and October 30. When asked about why the police kept the matter under wraps for about a month, Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) Ravi Kumar Singh said that “the issue was sensitive amid the ongoing festival season. When the accused were caught, we shared the details to the public.”
According to police sources, the sexual assault took place in a deserted area near the ITO metro station, and again in an autorickshaw near Rajghat. The victim who hailed from Odisha was eventually left bleeding on the road.
According to police, the victim had travelled to Delhi from Odisha on May 9, reportedly without informing her family who had filed a missing person’s report in Puri. Police said the woman holds a postgraduate degree in social work from Utkal University of Culture, Bhubaneswar, has been a research fellow, and has over eight years of work experience in the social sector.
The DCP said that a PCR call at 3.15 am on October 11 about a woman, wearing a red kurta, bleeding profusely from her wounds near Sarai Kale Khan. She was spotted by a Naval officer who was passing by.
“At 3:15 am, the officer made a PCR call to the Sunlight Colony police station where he expressed concern that the girl might have been injured or subjected to wrongful assault. The police rushed her to AIIMS Trauma Centre where she disclosed that she was raped by three unknown men,” he said.
The victim is a dedicated researcher, facilitator, and community leader, the police disclosed. “She holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Utkal University of Culture, Bhubaneswar, she has actively contributed to various developmental organisations. She also worked as a Research Fellow at Kalinga Network for Living with HIV/AIDS, Community Leader at Women Power for Sanitation Awareness, and Counsellor at One Stop Centre, Puri in Odisha,” the police said.
The DCP said, “On October 10, the accused, 32-year-old Parmod alias babu, who is an alcohol addict closed his shop as per his usual routine and got drunk. He noticed a girl sitting nearby. Shortly after, another accused, 29-year-old Mohammad Shamshul who is a physically handicapped beggar, and also an alcoholic arrived at the scene. Both accused persons conspired to sexually assault the girl, assuming she was ‘mentally unsound’ and an easy target.”
The accused first raped the girl by forcibly dragging the girl to a deserted area near the ITO metro station. While they were committing the heinous crime, a 28-year-old auto driver Prabhu Mahto witnessed the incident and joined them. He forced the girl in his auto (bearing registration number DL 1 RAA 9327) and raped her near Rajghat. After the incident, the accused dumped the victim on the secluded ring road from where she walked in a semi-nude state to Sarai Kale Khan.
Nearly a month after she was brutally raped, the victim is still undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi. After her initial statement, the victim could not cooperate further with the investigation or hospital staff due to her fragile mental condition. “As she was not able to share vital clues, thus during the operation, special permission was taken from the management staff of AIIMS Trauma Centre, and a woman officer Sangeeta took cover as a social worker, while a native Odia woman took cover as a nurse and they were assigned to take care of the victim to try to build trust and gather crucial information from her,” the DCP said.
He said that Sangeeta won over her trust and was able to get some important details from the victim, the involvement of an unknown autorickshaw driver who allegedly dumped her after the rape and two other persons, one of who had a physical handicap.
“The victim was unable to reveal other crucial details regarding the time and place of the incident due to her mental health challenges and trauma from the incident,” he said. With the limited details, a total of 10 police teams were formed and more than 700 CCTV cameras were reviewed along with the verification of more than 150 suspected auto-rickshaws through the combinations of visible and non-visible digits.
“On October 30, police arrested Prabhu Mahto, and subsequently, Pramod Babu and Mohammad Shamsul were also identified and arrested on November 2 and November 4, respectively,” the officer said.
A missing person report was registered by her parents on June 9 at Kumbharpada police station in Puri. After she came to the city, she was residing with one of her acquaintances. “However, during her stay, the victim began to exhibit ‘abnormal behaviour’. On being intimated by the friend, staff of Kishangarh police station informed the victim’s family. However, she denied going back to Odisha with her family and also ended her temporary stay. Thereafter, she took temporary shelter at public places like bus stops, railway stations and foot over bridges and severed all contact with her family,” a police officer said.
