In a shocking case of human trafficking and prostitution, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly gangraped by 27 people in a hotel room in Jaipur, where she was taken to on the pretext of a job by a couple who lives in her neighbourhood in Outer Delhi’s Mangolpuri area.
The Delhi Police has arrested six of the accused — identified as Rocky, Rani, Mukesh Soni, Anil, Arjun and Kamal —and lodged an FIR, naming 13 people and four teams have been formed to arrest the other accused. Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi said it was a serious case that would be investigated thoroughly and more arrests are likely.
It is understood that the girl and her father had approached the couple for a job for the girl, a few days ago. The girl’s father works as a vegetable vendor and is an alcoholic, said police, adding, “The girl was in desperate need of a job to meet the daily needs of the family.” The couple identified as Rocky and Rani, reportedly told the girl that they would get her a job in Jaipur, said police.
On August 29, the couple took the girl to Jaipur and confined her to room number 406 located on the top floor of Indraprastha Hotel, where one of the accused, Mukesh, works as a manager, said police.
Her ordeal began when Mukesh and his associates Kamal, Arjun and Anil allegedly raped her for the next couple of days, said police.
“On August 31 evening, she somehow managed to escape from the hotel and boarded a bus for Delhi. She came back to the national Capital and narrated her ordeal to her parents who then approached the police on September 2. Six people have been arrested so far in connection with the gangrape,” said DCP (Outer) Vikramjit Singh.
Rocky and Rani confessed to taking the girl to Jaipur to sell her off. While Rocky and Rani were arrested from their residence in Mangolpuri, other arrests were made from Jaipur. The other accused named in the FIR also belong to Jaipur, sources said.
Sources said two more persons including a girl have also been detained from Jaipur. Police suspect that it is a countrywide prostitution racket. It has also emerged that the hotel, where the crime took place, was earlier raided by police for aiding prostitution rackets.
A case has been registered under Sections 372 (selling minor for purposes of prostitution, etc) and 376 G (gangrape) of IPC and relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at Mangolpuri Police Station, the DCP said.
CCTV footage obtained from the hotel and nearby premises is being examined. Police are also checking records to ascertain if Rocky and Rani have criminal cases registered against them and whether they have trapped other victims as well.