Teen Gang-Raped in South Delhi Park by Men Posing as Cops; One Arrested After Encounter

A 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by three men who posed as policemen in a park in South Delhi, police said, in the latest in a string of sexual assaults on minors in the capital.

The incident took place on Monday evening near Kalkaji Mandir. According to the complaint, the girl had gone to the temple with a 17-year-old male friend around 7 pm. After offering prayers, the two went to a park near the temple at about 7:30 pm.

There, three men aged around 25 to 30 approached them and claimed to be policemen. They allegedly threatened the pair and raped the girl. One of the accused threatened her with a firearm and a knife before sexually assaulting her, police said, and the other two then also assaulted her. The accused later threatened the girl and her friend before leaving.

A PCR call about the alleged rape at the park, which connects Kalkaji Mandir and the ISKCON Temple, was received at 8:45 pm. A police team reached the spot, and the girl, a Delhi resident, was taken for a medical examination. Further legal action is being taken on the basis of her statement.

Investigators scanned CCTV footage from the park and surrounding areas to identify the accused and verify the sequence of events, and gathered information about people who may have been present in or around the park at the time.

Several teams were formed to trace the accused. One team received specific information about the movement of a suspect near DM office Road in Amar Colony, where a trap was laid. When the accused was intercepted, he allegedly opened fire at the police party. Despite being directed to surrender, he fired three rounds at the officers, police said. He was then shot in his right leg and taken into custody.

The arrested accused has been identified as Asif, who works at Okhla Mandi. A search is on for the other two accused.

A case has been registered under relevant provisions of law, including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and efforts are on to identify and apprehend the remaining suspects.

The attack is the fourth incident of rape of a minor in the capital in 10 days. On September 13, a 17-year-old girl was gang-raped and killed by four people, including three minors, in Northwest Delhi's Swaroop Nagar. On September 16, a 10-year-old Class 6 student was allegedly sexually assaulted after her hands and legs were tied inside a shop in North Delhi's Sadar Bazar area. On September 21, a six-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by a 34-year-old man in the Kishan Ganj area of Central Delhi.