Delhi teen park gang-rape survivor helps police identify spots, collect evidence

A 17-year-old girl who was allegedly gang-raped at knifepoint in Delhi's Aastha Kunj Park later helped investigators identify the spots where the assaults allegedly took place, leading forensic teams to collect biological evidence, including a condom, police said. Officials said her account has also helped them identify and arrest three men in the case.

Police said the girl told them that each of the three accused allegedly held a knife to her neck while raping her at different secluded locations inside the park. Samples collected by the Forensic Sciences Laboratory team from Rohini and the district mobile crime team have been sent for scientific examination, and investigators are awaiting the results, including DNA profiling.

According to police, the girl had gone to Kalkaji Mandir with her 17-year-old male friend on Monday on the occasion of her birthday. After offering prayers, the two bought chips and a bottle of water outside Kalkaji metro station and entered Aastha Kunj Park through Gate No. 7. They were sitting on a bench and eating when three men, aged around 30 to 35, approached them.

The men allegedly caught hold of her friend, slapped him and claimed to be policemen when the two questioned them. Police said the accused then took away their mobile phones, separated the girl from her friend, threatened them and took the girl towards a secluded part of the park. One of the accused allegedly asked another to take out a gun. The girl told police that the man whom the others called Asif was wearing a purple shirt and was the healthiest of the three. He allegedly showed her a black firearm before putting it back in his pocket. The three men then allegedly took out knives and took her to a dark area of the park.

A senior officer said Asif allegedly removed the girl's clothes, placed her on a red bench and asked another accused, whom he called Hemu, to keep watch. Asif then allegedly put on a condom, held a knife to the girl's neck and raped her. He later called Hemu, who allegedly took the girl to another bench and raped her while holding a knife to her neck. The third accused, whom the others called Deepu, then allegedly approached her and raped her while holding a knife to her neck.

After the alleged assault, the men told the girl to wear her dress quickly and threatened to kill her and her friend if they spoke about the incident, police said. They then returned the two mobile phones and took them out of the park. The girl later informed her friend about the alleged assault, after which he called the police control room. Police said a PCR call was received at around 8:45 pm and a team reached the two near Gate No. 7.

Officials said the girl's detailed account helped investigators as she was able to recall the accused men's physical descriptions, clothes and the names or nicknames they used for one another. She later accompanied police to the park and identified the places where the alleged assaults took place. The FSL team and the district mobile crime team examined those spots and collected biological and other evidence, including a condom found near one of the benches.

Police said they scanned footage from more than 300 CCTV cameras in and around the park and on routes leading to and from the area. Around 20 people were initially shortlisted before technical surveillance and local intelligence led investigators to the three accused. The accused, identified as Asif, Hemant and Mahesh, were later arrested. One of them was injured in retaliatory firing after he allegedly opened fire at a police team, officials said. All three have been sent to judicial custody.

Investigators are now examining the accused men's mobile phones, contacts and other technical evidence to reconstruct their movements before and after the alleged incident. Police are also looking into security arrangements at Aastha Kunj Park, including the deployment of guards and the lack of adequate lighting and CCTV coverage in the secluded area where the alleged assault took place. They are also checking whether the accused were involved in any similar case in the past, though police sources said no formal complaint about such incidents has been received so far.

Police said the investigation now centres on the forensic results, the reconstruction of the accused men's movements and the review of security gaps at the park, after the survivor's account helped identify the alleged assault locations and led to the collection of key evidence.- EndsWith PTI inputs