Two men have been arrested in connection with the gang-rape of a 17-year-old girl in a Delhi park. According to police reports, the suspects went to a restaurant shortly after the assault. The incident has raised significant concerns regarding safety and crime in public spaces in the area.
All three were arrested on Tuesday. They then returned home in Sri Niwaspuri area, where they washed their clothes to get rid of any evidence. An unlicensed firearm and a knife were found in his possession when he was arrested.
The development came as the police stepped up their probe into the alleged gang-rape of the minor on gunpoint inside the 142-acre Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Temple on Monday. The class 7 girl was visiting the park with a 17-year-old male friend on her 17th birthday when the crime took place at around 7.15pm-7.30pm. The third accused was identified as Asif (30). When we arrested them at around 7 am on Tuesday, their washed clothes were found nearby,” a police officer privy to the details said.
“During the course of interrogation, the two brothers said they went to a restaurant to eat first (after the crime). A second officer said Asif – who was nabbed after a brief exchange of fire – learnt from local residents that the police were looking for him and decided to escape. “The two brothers were roaming around,” the officer said. Police said they also found “objectionable” and pornographic content on Asif’s phone and have sought a report from the FSL. Staff members and guards at the park as well as a nearby godown, and regular visitors identified Asif as a local troublemaker, the police said.
