A 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and murdered by a group of four teenagers – three of them minors – who dumped her body in a field in outer Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar, police said on Thursday. Officials said that all accused are in custody – a 19-year-old man had been arrested, while three minors were apprehended.
Two police officers confirmed to HT that at least three of the accused confessed to raping the victim. Police said none of the local residents had reported seeing the girl on Saturday night or Sunday. Investigation teams were subsequently tasked with establishing her identity and tracing her family. Based on the family’s statement and post-mortem findings, police registered a case of murder, rape and causing disappearance of evidence. A team led by additional deputy commissioner of police (outer north) Lokeshwaran R and ACP Ravinder Ahlawat began investigating the circumstances surrounding the dumping of the body. Investigators recovered two knives allegedly used in the crime and the clothes the accused were wearing. “Further investigation is in progress to establish the complete sequence of events, ascertain the individual role of each apprehended person, verify all available forensic and technical evidence, and examine the involvement of any other person in the offence.
The other three accused, police said, were friends of the 17-year-old. The accused were identified as Shivam Ganesh, 19, and three minors aged 17 and 16, police said.
Investigators said one of the accused, a 17-year-old boy, appeared to be the victim’s “friend” and that she had gone to meet him. Senior police officers said the girl could not initially be identified. The recovered exhibits have been preserved for forensic examination and necessary legal action will be taken accordingly,” Saksena said.
Investigators eventually identified her with the help of local residents who had previously seen her in the area.
